Gang of Four
by Reggie Jackson
Summary: When the Warners go missing, a series of events follow in which the the studio is sent on a spiraling road towards bankruptcy. Now it is up to an unlikely misfit group to find them and save the studio. But the journey turns out to be more difficult than any of them would have thought. Slight A/U
1. Prologue

**Hello again everyone! Hope you all had a great holiday break and are currently enjoying the Spring. This story will be a little bit different compared to the others. Without giving to much away, it probably won't be what you expect it to be. This is a much large project I have been working on since the late summer of last year. I normally don't write drama so feel free to post your reviews and or constructive criticism near the end. It's always appreciated. Once again I do not own Animaniacs, they belong to Warner Bros./ Steven Spielberg.**

Chapter: Prologue

April 1st

_Please don't start with the jokes, please don't_

Dr. Otto Scratchensniff anxiously fretted as he sat down in his seat. In front of him, the Warners confidently stood at the podium, awaiting the next round of questions. Today was a very important day for them. The psychiatrist hoped that all his preparation work for today's press conference wouldn't be for naught. Flashbacks of him trying to teach them manners in the episode "Taming of the Screwy" came flooding back to his mind. The interview was held inside one the studio buildings in the Warner Bros movie lot. Seated behind him, several reporters and cameramen were actively awaiting answers from the special guests before them.

"You there!" Yakko pointed at red headed female reporter.

"Yakko, would you mind giving us details about your upcoming shooting session?" she asked.

"Would you mind giving me your number?" This was followed by a brief pause from the reporter and few chuckles from the audience. Scratchy shook his head in frustration.

_No! No! No!_

"Just kidding, but well start shooting in a few days after we land in Orlando…"

However,much to Scratchensniff's relief, aside from that one comment, they haven't done anything out of line for the rest of the interview. He was impressed that the Warner's were actually being professional for once. Well...almost professional. They answered all their questions politely and fluently. They retained good posture and behavior as they listened to others. They actually showed signs of maturity and responsibility, two vital things he long thought the Warners would never have.

"So Yakko, do you three still have any plans as far renewing your hit TV show Animaniacs?" another reporter asked.

Scratchy had heard this question before, and their response several times during practice sessions, but it still shocked him none of the less.

"No" they replied in unison. A few stunned reporters gasped at their response.

"Look, As much as we loved working on the show. Uh… we really want to move on to new things now." Yakko answered. Dot came forward.

"Besides, it was starting to get exhausting to work on the show any longer. Were almost glad the show ended when it did." When she finished talking, Wakko came in.

"That's why we wonder how the Simpsons and SpongeBob are able to keep going after 10 plus years..."

Scratchensniff gazed at the trio as they stood behind the podium. They didn't look much different compared to their appearances on the show, unless you ignored the fact that they had all grown at least half a foot. Yakko now wore a brown vest to match his pants. Wakko's signature red cap now had his intials sewn on in bold letters. Dot donned a pink shirt to match her skirt. Their personalities weren't that much different either, Yakko was still the talkative wise-cracker, Dot was still just as vain about her cuteness, if not more than ever, and Wakko's creativity and appetite showed no signs of slowing down.

As the interview continued for the next several minutes, Scratchensniff's mind drifted to how much had happened since the first day he met them all those years ago. Since that day, it has always been his job to control their zany attitudes. And considering at how much he failed at doing so, it was miracle he still had a job.

But his methods seemed to have impacted them somewhat. Now that they were older, they had started to become less irritating and chaotic. They were much more open to talk about things. They weren't as persistent in their never ending mission to turn his life upside down. He no longer took the full brunt of their "special friend" antics. It was a very small change, but still noticeable nonetheless. Scratchensniff wasn't sure if it was that they finally started to mellow out, or if he was actually starting to go crazy.

There would be days where he would invite them in his office and they would just talk. He would sit down and listen them. And listen, and listen, and listen. He managed to understand more about them by letting them speak their minds, rather than prodding them with a myriad of questions. Sometimes it was about any recent misadventures that happened on or off the lot, other times they would jokingly talk about what things they liked, or what they did in their spare time after the show ended. This was when he found out about their new interest in movies.

He remembered how the Warners were so excited about the direct to video feature film "Wakko's Wish" After so many years of doing movie parodies, they would finally be in one of their own. It was going to be the breakthrough chance they were looking for. The movie turned out to be a moderate hit when it was released. While he and the other Animaniacs cast enjoyed working on the movie, much to everyone's surprise, the only people out of the entire cast who were most critical of it, were the Warners themselves. Their criticism even surpassed Slappy who mainly hated working on it because it called for her to sing and dance. Yakko didn't like because he felt it came off as discount Disney film, Wakko felt there was a lot great stuff that was edited out in the final cut, Dot simply hated it because it called for her "the cute one" to die. All three of them were disappointed in the fact that even though it supposed to be _their_ movie, they hardly had any say in how it would be done. They decided to turn their dream into a reality by making shorts for themselves.

Scratchensniff was willing to support them all the way. Anything that produced more than just wild insanity was a great idea in his eyes. So he went out and got presents for each of them on their birthdays; a book on filmmaking for Yakko, a video camera for Wakko, and director's outfit complete a beret and megaphone for Dot. The daily talk sessions would become small film festivals in which the trio would eagerly show the new short films they made. A lot of them were actually pretty good. Scratchy initially figured that this would just be a hobby, so it was no surprise he did a double take when they told him that they wanted to make their own feature film for Warner Bros.

He remembered how apprehensive Plotz was against the whole idea at first. Dealing with them on a five year TV show was bad enough, now he had to worry about them jeopardizing his studios fortune by funding their movies? He had given them a chance to direct a short for the studio all those years ago, and regretted at what a disaster that turned out.

The Warners however, wouldn't be easily discouraged. They did tons of research on independent films and received support from show's cast members along with donations from fans. Scratchensniff even chipped in as well, not without a bout of begging from the Warners of course. The Warners managed to complete their first independent film "Home Again" a musical dramedy starring Rita and Runt. It turned out to be a moderate hit after premering in the Los Angeles Film Festival. Within a few months it had already raked in over a million dollars at the box office, and made the nomination for Best Picture.

Needless to say, Plotz was very surprised when he found out how well the movie had done. When the Warners had announced they were going to make another one, he offered to let himself and the studio take over financial backing. The Warners at first were unwilling to do it. It took several days of negotiating and bribery to finally get them to reconsider, but they did. While the film would technically be considered a Warner Brothers production, all directing was done by the Warners themselves.

After that was said and done, what followed was a string of 5 films that eventually became box office hits. Two of them actually won Academy Awards as well. The ratings at the Warner Bros studios were higher than ever before. The Warners had successfully managed to reinvent themselves, and regain their popularity. Now with a new film on the way, it was destined to be their most important one yet.

"A Gang of Four" the movie was called, was expected to be completed by the end of the year. While the movie had been in production for over five years, it has been hyped up that this would be their masterpiece. Despite the long production time, it was kept a complete secret for the most part. No one could figure out anything about the movie. Scratchensniff even tried to use his daily sessions to try and wring it out of them, but he had no such luck, he wasn't able to find out why they were even going to Orlando to begin with. In an uncanny coincidence, his attention returned to the interview when a reporter asked this question.

"Last question, if your not gonna tell us what the movie is about? Could you give us a hint?"

"Lets just say this is a 'special project" Yakko responded formally.

"Like special friend special?" a small grin appeared on the Warner's face, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

"Uh... something like that. But that's all the hints your gonna get from me so..." he blew a kiss to the audience." Goodnight everybody!" The crowd exploded into a cacophony of last minute questions and comments as the trio came down from the podium and disappeared behind the curtains. Scratchensniff waited a few minutes for them to come out later after the crowd has dispersed. When they didn't come back out, he got out of his seat to see if anything was wrong.

"So… howd we do?" the eldest Warner sudden response made him jump. Scratchy spun around to see the Warners sitting in the same spot he was just in.

"Excellent, But it vould have been a bit better without the jokes ja." he responded in his thick German accent.

"What can I say? Good habits die hard" Yakko shrugged. Dot stood up and hastily tugged at his white sweater.

"Did I look okay Scratchy? I wasn't able to put as much facial before the this interview".

"You looked fine Dot, you looked just like your brothers" She took one glance at her siblings with a sick face. Yakko was scratching his hair while Wakko let his tongue hang out. She turned back to him.

"That's not very encouraging Scrathensniff." he paused for a moment.

"Um, You looked like a cute vonderful woman" Dot beamed in response.

"Good, cause if I went up there looking like a hag, it would have been on your head! Literally!" Scratchensniff chuckled nervously, knowing she would follow up on that promise if need be.

"So, Scratchy you planning on coming to the party later on this evening?" Wakko spoke up.

"Vhat party?"

"Our wrap party, duh. The one were throwing right before we leave! We got the B-52's again!"

_Again?! That's the 15th time they invited them!_

"There nothing like a good ol heap of campy new wave tunes from the 80s to start off our trip!" Yakko commented. After every filming project they completed, the Warners always celebrated by having a huge wrap party inside their water tower.

"I still need to give the lead singer my gift" Dot said, as she took out a small yellow box from her skirt. An enormous gray lobster protruded from the bag. Scratchy jumped back as one of its rock hard claws nearly snapped his head off. He was all too familiar with Dot's "special" pets, they were harmless, but that still didn't mean they made him shudder.

"We were even going to throw in food to feed it too!" Wakko took off his red cap, it was filled with brown pebbles. He playfully tossed a pebble inside the lobster's mouth before it zipped back inside Dot's box.

"But you kids haven't even started filming!" Scratchensniff answered.

"Details, details…" Yakko dismissively yawned. " The movie's almost done in our eyes, so are you coming?" Scractehnsniff cringed as he didn't answer. He'd been dreading having to tell them the news all morning. The dissapearing smiles on their faces confirmed they knew something was wrong. Hesitantly, he gulped and told them.

"Oh no, See... I vont be able to come". Wakko came forward.

"But, but why?"

"Oh of course I do, Its just..." Dot jumped in front of him.

"It's the lead singer voice isn't it? Well he does sound like Yakko on a sugar high..."

"Sister sis I have no idea what your talking about" Yakko scoffed, crossing his arms.

"No really, I have no problem with his voice, it's just…I'm very busy today. I was only able to get off vork for your interview..." he continued to explain. He still had a long list of patients to attend to that would eat up his time until the late evening. He was actually lucky enough to get permission from Plotz to even attend the conference at all. The CEO demanded that he return to work not a second later after it was over. It was either do your job, or face the wrath of Plotz. Besides, he never really considered himself to be party person anyway.

"But were leaving with Pinky and Brain right afterwards" Wakko interrupted with a slight disappointed look on his face. Scratchy knew they were going to be providing transportation for them during their trip. They would be flying out of Burbank in a private plane Brain designed himself. He knew Brain all too well, despite his small stature, he was an accomplished inventor in his own right. He was also very anal of leaving on time, there be little to no time for last minute goodbyes. Scratchensniff was almost about to reconsider when Yakko cut in, a content smile on his face.

"Lay off Wakko, if he can't make it, then that's no problem for us." He responded in Scratchy's defense. That was the odd thing about Yakko nowadays, sometimes he would prod and manipulate him into precarious situations, other times he would actually let him be. " Were just glad you came at all today".

"Im sorry, I hope you three understand" the younger siblings still didn't seemed completely satisfied with their brother's answer. He hated having to dissapoint the trio.

"Well okay, do ya think Ralph will miss us?" Wakko asked. Scratchensnifff didn't know what to say, he hand't thought about him in a moment.

"Uh… maybe, he might miss the temporary 50% discount at Dunkin Donuts before he misses us!" Yakko cut in. " But I sure know who will miss us..."

"Hello Nurse!" both Warner brothers shouted before they howled like wolves.

"Boys, it's tough beign the mature one in this family" Dot grumbled. Scratchensniff sighed in agreement, it didnt't look like the boys fondness for his personal assistant would stop anytime soon.

"You think Mr. Plotz will miss us?" Wakko asked.

"Oh yes! Im sure he be very upset to see you all go." he answered, trying his best to sound optimistic. The Warners looked at him totally unconvinced. They knew Plotz was probably whooping it up in his office right now, knowing the trio would be out of what was left of his hair for a quarter of a year.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye..." Scratchensniff was unprepared for the trio's spontaneous group hug.

"Don't vorry, I will… miss you… too!" he squeaked. Their tight grips were starting to cut off his circulation. He was really going to miss them for the next few months. They let go and plopped back on the ground.

"Well call you as soon as we get in!" Dot squealed.

So get ready for a_ long_ phone bill" Yakko added. The psychiatrist grimaced at the thought.

"Good, now go. Brain is probably waiting for you outside" The Warners did not budge.

"You sure? we don't mind stalling"

"Yakko, please go!"Scratchensniff groaned in agitation. There was the wisecraker hed grown to love.

"You know there are other ways to say you want me to stay..."

"Go!"

"You sure that's not that's how to say no in German?"

"No! That's nein!" Wakko took out a purple nine from his hat.

"No, this is." he cut in. Completely ticked off, Scratchy pointed to the double doors behind him.

"Go, Go! Get out Here!" The trio giggled uncontrollably as they sped towards the studio's double doors.

"Were just yanking with ya, see you in three months Scratchy!" Yakko called out. Scratchensniff sighed in relief, knowing they would have went even further in the fast. Like he said to himself, they had a small behavior change, a _very_ small change.

Scratchsniff stood alone as the doors flapped open and closed. Most of the other reporters had long since cleared out by now. He smiled as he slowly trudged out the studio. He was so proud of them. This would have been the longest the Warners ever spent outside the studio, in their eyes, it was always home. A home without any parents to look after them, a home where he decided to look after them…

He let the thought hang as he glanced at his watch.

_1:15?! Oh no! No!_

He was late for his appointment with Christopher Walken. Scratchy sped out the studio and off to his office. He made a mental note to come straight home after work, and prepare himself for the expensive long distance call he would have to make early in the morning.


	2. Chapter 1: In a Rut

_Chapter One: In a Rut_

_Police officials are still on the lookout for the three missing individuals; Yakko Warner, Wakko Warner, and Dot Warner who disappeared last week on April 1…_

…_The CEO of Warner Bros. states that they are doing everything they can to locate…_

… _It has now been 3 months since the search has been on…_

…_investigators speculate_ _the plane may have gone down somewhere between Orlando and Dallas…_

… _as we can see, several people have gathered around the Studio's water tower for a silent moment of prayer..._

_...Earlier today police officals have just announced that they are calling off the search for the Warners…_

March 20th 11 months later

4:00 PM

"Alright, go easy on those wings and you should be as good as new Squit." Mrs. Nurse stated as she finished wrapping the pigeon's wings into a cast. As she tended to Squit at her work desk, two other pigeons, Bobby and Pesto watched them from a nearby counter.

"Thanks" said Squit, gingerly flapping one of his wings.

"He wouldn't have to if Pesto would quit acting like a moron." Bobby complained.

"What? What? Who's acting like a moron here?!, he was grinding my beak as usual!" Pesto protested angrily.

"No I wasn't, I was just saying you ate little more bread than both of us this morning…" the bandaged pigeon began to explain until Pesto confronted him at her desk.

"What?! So you do admit that you think I'm a chubby chicken?! Is that it?!"he yelled.

"No I'm not sayin that!" Squit protested. Pesto's feathers ruffled at his comment.

"That's it!" Squit wisely flew out a window just as the pigeon was getting ready to pounce on him. Pesto slammed into a pile of papers on her desk before he followed after him.

"Yo! You whack him again and I'll whack you!" Bobby yelled out as he flew off after them. Nurse groaned, she would have to tend those wings again very soon.

The clanking of her white heels was now the only sound present in the psychiatrist's office building. She bent down to pick up her papers and glanced at the clock.

_Goodness, its only 4 in the afternoon? _She quickly got started on sorting out her paperwork . On her desk was a small stack of folder recording all of her appointments from the current month. Had this been a while back when the Warners were still in town, the pile would have been five times taller, and a good quarter of them would have been from Ralph alone. Aside from her appointment with Squit, she only had two other patients today. It was just another long, boring, and dull day for her. She almost wished those Warner Brothers were still here to flirt with her, at least they always made her day more interesting.

"Let's see…" she said to herself before pausing for a moment. She glanced up at the wooden door at the far end of the room; the office of her working partner. Scratchensniff hadn't come out all day, not even during lunch break. Normally she would have ignored the whole thing. Scratchensniff was always more comfortable in doing work by himself anyways. He had his work to attend to, she had her own. However, recently less tourists and customers were coming in. This meant less patients to occupy their time. Like the rest of the studio, he had become very quiet. Always a workaholic, he wasn't used to not having much to do.

She may not have been a psychiatrist, but she knew his reclusive behavior wasn't good.

_I don't want to disturb him. Maybe I'll leave this alone._ Nurse quickly pushed that thought out of her head. Something was wrong, and she wouldn't be helping by doing nothing. Before she had any more second thoughts, she cautiously trotted over to the door. Slowly, she cracked it open, hoping she wasn't interrupting an important session.

"Dr. Scratchensniff? Hello?" she asked inside, she could see him lying on the couch talking to a regular patient

"Why hello Mr Puppet Head, how are you?" Scracthensniff asked, staring at a puppet likeness of himself on his hand.

_"I am fine and you?" _ Mr. Puppet head "responded"

"How are you feeling?"

_"With my hands" _the felt puppet raised its arms.

"No! no! that is how you are touching, how are you feeling?!' the frustrated psychiatrist groaned.

"_How can I touch? You never gave me fingers_!"

" I'm not asking you to touch, I'm asking...!"

"Scratchensniff?" The sound of Nurse's voice immediately snapped him out of his 'session" He blinked for a moment and turned to her, his peach face flushing bright red.

"Ms. Nurse?" he asked. She opened the door all way and came inside.

"Doctor, you've been in here all morning, are you all right?"

"Of course, I'm fine" he waved dismissively.

"_No he's not, he's talking to a felt puppet!"_ Puppethead 'interrupted'. He raised the puppet to his face.

"Shut up!" Scratchensniff snapped angrily. Mrs. Nurse came over gently grabbed the puppet from his hand.

"Why don't we let Mr Puppethead sit this one out?" she stated as she placed it on a nearby table. This was worse than she thought. After doing that, she sat on the edge of the couch, patiently waiting for his response.

"Really Ms. Nurse I'm fine. Got to be here in case anyone needs me ja." She still was not convinced.

"Well, I need you…" she began to explain, but not before Scratchensniff bolted out of the couch.

"What do you need, is the printer out of ink?, do we need more folders?, is Charlie Sheen trying to break down the door again?" he asked anxiously. Nurse sat him back down to keep him focused.

"Doctor this is serious; I need to know whats wrong. This isn't like you"

"Ms Nurse Im a psychiatrist, I think I would know if there was somethving wrong me."

"Dr. Scratchensniff, you've been stuck in this room all day, you didn't even come out for lunch break, you look like you haven't had any sleep. This isn't healthy and you know it" Not known for being outspoken, she was bit surprised at how aggressive she was. Her working partner guiltily hung his head down. "Now will you stop being in denial and tell me your problem?" Scratchensniff raised both his eyebrows and turned to the puppet at the table.

"Wait, Vhat? Mister Puppethead you say somvthing?" She guided his face back to hers.

"No, it was me." she corrected him. "Now Dr. Scratensniff, tell me _your_ problem"He blinked for a few seconds as he sat up straight. He let out a heavy sigh as he stared off in a distance.

"Well, it's about _them_…" he began. She didn't have to look far to understand who he was talking about. "It's been almost year now, but it seems like only yesterday when they dissapeared. Those poor kids. They were still so young and talented. I just thought about the last words I said to them 'Go Get out of here!' Here I was worried about my job when those kids were trouble..." Nurse continued to listen as he explained. She could completely understand why he was so upset. After all the time he spent with them, the Warners had become like surrogate children to him. No matter how irritating or chaotic they could be, they didn't deserve to have that happen to them.

"It's, It's bad to lose someone, it feels even worse when you don't know what happened to them" he sniffed.

"There There..." Nurse spoke softly. She rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Id give anythving for them to be here right now. Id even let them bonk me on head" he added. He lightly tapped his head to prove his point.

"Doctor, I'm sure they are still out there" she answered truthfully. Despite how unlikely it seemed, she was still convinced that they were still out there, somewhere.

"Oh Nurse, I appreciate you trying to help, but Ive been around long enough to know that tings are aren't always vat we vant them to be." She wasn't sure what to say next, it wasn't often they had a chance to talk outside of work. She got up from the couch.

"Well, okay. But I want you to get something to eat before you leave" Nurse headed back to to the door.

"Nurse..." She looked back at her mentor. "Thank you for coming in anyway"

"You're welcome, Doctor" A small smile appeared on her face after hearing that. After all, he always came to her if he needed anything, it seemed sensible for her to try and do the same. She didn't want Scratchensniff to go on acting liek this. She had to do something to help him out, she didn't know how, she didn't what, but she _would_ do something.

XXXX

7:30 PM

"Sir, Excuse me sir" a deep voice answered.

"Ello there, zort!" a higher pitched Cockney voice chirped. Ralph's eyes slowly reopened at the sound of the voices. He had finally fallen asleep just a few minutes ago. He grumbled as he sat up straight in his booth. This couldn't have happened at worse time. "Wohoo, S.O.S! You think he already went home Brain?" He slid down the booth's glass window with his hand.

"What?! Where are yous?" he barked irritably. He looked out only to see nobody.

"Down here" the deep voice answered. He looked at down bottom of the gate the studio's famous lab mice, Brain stood with an impatient scowl on face while Pinky was struggling to carry the edge of a burlap sack over his shoulders.

_What are they doing here? They just left an hour ago._

"Ah what do you want?" Ralph asked.

"Excuse me, we like your permission to renter." Brain spoke.

"What for?" Ralph lazily scratched his chest.

"Pinky and I currently have some business to attend to at the lab"

"Okays"was his reply as he let them in. The classic long bar security gate had long since been replaced with an iron gate that slid open and shut on the command of lever. Ralph faintly remembered how the first time he used it he nearly pinched the rear of Plotz's Cadillac.

"But Brain I thought were going to pick up the cheese wheel from the fri-" Pinky spoke up just before Brain grabbed him by the mouth.

"Later Pinky, we have a few important issues to take care of at the lab first. It will be closing in an hour" Brain corrected.

"Oh right, then we'll get the cheese wheel?"

"Of course, why do think I brought the bag...?" Brain's response was interrupted by the guard clearing his throat.

"Yous guy comin in out or not? Im busy!" Ralph asked, an impatient glare on his face. Pinky hurridly dragged the sack inside while Brain matched the guard's sour expression.

"Come on Pinky, lets leave this ignoramus to his profession" Brain muttered. They silently passed by and didn't even look at him. Offended, Ralph whipped his head outside the booth.

"Duh, I ain't Ignoramus I'm Ralph!' he angrily called out after them. The two mice continued onward without looking back.

Perhaps the most unsettling of changes was that of Ralph. The usually cherry persona of the dimwitted guard had slowly become very grumpy. Without the Warners keeping him busy, the overwieght guard had more time to focus on his job. That didn't mean however that he started to get better at it though. He started to become more distracted and careless than before. While he was more attentive to the people he let in and out of the studio, his greetings became harsher in tone, he started coming in late, and would leave long after his shift was over.

It didn't help that today had not been the best day for him. He lightly patted his shirt which was still damp from the early morning rain shower he got caught in. The tiny out of date television box in his booth showed nothing but static. And he had gotten into an argument with an unhappy employee earlier that day. His stomach rumbled.

_Aw, now I can't sleep! Hungry though._

The security guard glanced at the box soggy rings that were supposed to be his doughtnuts. They were still too wet from the rain to be edible. He decided to leave his post for a quick snack,. He didn't feel a reason not to do it. At this point of the day, people hardly came in at all. He would be back before anyone, even Plotz, would notice.

XXX

7:50 PM

_Hrmph, Happy Birthday indeed_

Thaddeus Plotz glanced at the crooked picture frames and furniture items he spent most of the day moving in his office. It was his birthday, surely they had returned just to play their stupid joke again. Every year he received his annual "present" from the Warners, a hidden spring laden custard pie ready to launch at the unsuspecting victim. Last year it was hidden underneath a stack of files on his desk. So far he had no luck. He wasn't too upset about that; after all he never considered his birthday a festive event anyway. Just another reminder that your one year closer to the big dirt nap. Still he couldn't resist knowing where they might have put it this time. The aging toon CEO slumped in his chair as he stared blankly at the walls.

_How could have everything gone bad so quickly?_

When the Warner's came up missing, he initially brushed the whole thing off. He figured it was all part of some stupid stunt or that they decided to make an unscheduled detour to pester someone else. But his concern grew and more as each day passed. Soon enough, he quickly sent out a search party to look for them. He paid off several people to find them; police officers, detectives, military soliders, he even attempted to get the National Guard in as well. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months. No one had any idea what happened.

It only got worse from there. The amount of press interviews and conferences were starting to become exhausting. Every time the press always asked the same thing "Where are the Warners? Do you happen to know who took them? Do you suspect vandals at Disney to be the culprits?" There were numbers and numbers of questions that he didn't just want to answer, but he couldn't answer.

Two of his former TV stars were starting to take the heat as well. Pinky and the Brain were currently being probed by investigators as they were the last people to see the Warners. Apparently, an unknown suspect had booted them off their own plane shortly before they would fly the Warners to Orlando. The suspect managed take control and flew off with the Warners into night. No one had seen them since. The mice did everything they could to locate the plane, but they had no luck. Although no one was pointing fingers just yet, the aura of suspicion lingered.

Worse enough, Plotz's hasty decisions he made with them were starting to bite him in the back. Without the Warners, that meant no more of their movies could be made. Most of the studio's main income was riding on the success of their movies. Plotz gambled for profits by putting as much money as needed into their projects; sometimes more than necessary. The average film budget would range from 35 to over 200 million dollars.

In the meantime, he made sure the studio ran as if nothing happened. All employees were ordered to keep working and not get involved with the search party. After serveral months, the search for the Warners was proving to be very costly time wise and financially. Frustrated and tired, he had no choice but to go ahead and call off the search.

Plotz didn't understand. Why hadn't they come back? Didn't they know they were worth a lot to him? Was the Warner trio finally out of his lives forever? Sure he disliked them thoroughly, but not to the point where he wanted them dead. This was just typical he thought,

_Even in the death those brats manage to ruin my day._

But regardless of how troubling this whole situation was, it was time to move on. He made sure everyone understood this, especially Scratchesniff after he had asked several times if they found anything about them yet. The Warners were gone period, and there was nothing to do about it, People come, people go. He stood atop his chair and checked behind the picture frame like he had done for the 5th time today.

_I know those Warners had to have put it somewhere..._

"Mr. Plotz?" the sudden interruption from outside his office caused him to topple off his chair. He hit the floor face first. The embarrassed CEO brushed himself off as his newest secretary appeared at the doorway. He often kept one around for at least one year before moving on to the next one. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"Oh uh Corden, I was just looking for you" Plotz answered, regaining his composure. The lean secretary handed him a cup of coffee before he sat down at a chair facing his desk.

"There's a few things I need to tell you sir…"

"Don't tell me we have to do another press conference" Plotz groaned.

"Thankfuly no, but I wanted to remind you that the Warner's new movie is set to be released in two weeks. We successfully reached our goal by keeping its budget under 20 million dollars"

"Pefect, I've got a lot riding on this movie" Plotz grinned for a brief moment. So far this was the best news he's heard all day.

"Oh Im confident that it will sell." the secreatary replied. The movie wasn't "Gang of Four" like the Warners promised. Since production on the project was kept a secret, there wasn't much Plotz could do on it. Instead, they started on one of the Warners unfinished side projects, "Fowl Play" a romantic comedy staring Katie Kaboom and Chicken Boo. "And if that doesn't work out, our DVD sales are still bringing in a constant revene.

"There is no_ if_ it doesn't work. It has to work! What else?" Plotz cut in.

"Mr. Globwobber won't be able to to make this evening's meeting". Plotz had almost forgotten about the meeting with the head Globwobbler studios. Plotz had taken out a loan from the company a few months back to cover expenses for the movie. So far he had only paid a quarter of it off. If this movie didn't do well, they were in trouble.

"Oh good, I'm really not in the mood tonight" he sighed. "Corden, I'm sorry you had to be hired in such a difficult time." his secretary rustled his slicked down black hair.

"It's fine, personally I think experiences like this are great for interns. Gives them experience" the younger toon replied.

That's good, cause we might have to take drastic measures" said Plotz.

"What measures are you suggesting?" Corden asked. Plotz folded his arms and took one sip of his coffee.

"Our studio is losing money, ratings have dropped, debt has risen. We might have to start laying people off now"

"What deparments are you considering to start with?"

"I might start in the health department. They haven't been as productive lately anyway." Plotz knew Scratensniff and the Nurse were not getting as much customers as they used to. Corden simply nodded as Plotz took another sip.

"Might I suggest another one?" Corden proposed. "What about the security department as well? You've been complaining a lot about that security guard lately. What was his name?" The CEO slammed his coffee cup to desk, nearly scalding himself.

"Ralph! Ow! Oh, of course! I'm really getting fed up with him!" Plotz fumed, his mind instantly going to the bumbling security guard at the front gate. The growing number of complaints he was getting about him were really starting to get annoying. He didn't know what was going with Ralph right now, and frankly he didn't care.

"Maybe later on when this whole mess blows over, I can finally hire some decent security guards around here!"

"That sounds like plan, but in the meantime I think we should at least wait until we hear from J.W before you consider doing that." Corden stated. The CEO arched at eye his secretary, it wasn't often people on the studio board challenged his word.

"You questioning my authority Corden?" Plotz asked rose from his seat.

"No I'm not. But I am saying that we are in a delicate situation, and we need to treat it as one. We can't rush this." he advised. Mr. Plotz paused for a moment, his secretary did have a point, another rushed half thought out decision would be disastrous for the studio.

"All right, all right. I'll think it over" Plotz huffed. Corden checked his watch.

"Its almost 8 o' clock, I'd really like to talk more but I have to get going. We'll figure a way out of this Plotz. Were just in a rut "

"See ya Corden" The secretary left through the door, leaving Plotz alone in the solitude of his office. He hoped Corden was right. The studio had fallen on hard times before, surely they could overcome this. Yes, he was just in a rut, a very very bad rut..

XXXX

Meanwhile, the two workers were completely unaware that a third person had unintentionally listened in on them. After overhearing most of the conversation, Ralph bolted out sight just as Corden went for the door. He breezed past the vending machine he initially came up for. His appetite was long gone now. As soon as he was sure he was out of range, he stopped to take a breath.

_He wouldn't do it? That Plotz is a good guy, he wouldn't do it… would he?_

Ralph didn't understand the entire conversation, but what he did understand was that if Plotz's words were true, his days at the studio were numbered. If he lost his job, it was going to be very hard to find another one. He didn't have years of psychology studying under his belt like Scratchensniff, nor did he have a degree in any type of profession like the nurse. To be blunt, his chances of getting another job were about as likely as convincing Slappy Squirrel to attend anti-bomb convention. And he didn't want another job, he was fine with the one he already had.

Several thoughts lingered intensely within Ralph's head as he sauntered back outside. It was little unnerving walking alone in movie lot. The guard suddenly felt a little bad for being so rude to Pinky and the Brain earlier. They were the first guys' from the cast who actually bothered to talk to him in a while. Everyone else always seemed to ignore him, and those that didn't never had anything nice to say.

He stopped in his tracks. To his right the studio's water tower loomed above him. He gazed down at the concrete movie lot beneath his feet. If this were a year earlier, he would have been chasing the Warners until they tired him out. At least _they_ somewhat nice to him; they didn't yell at him, they actually bothered to call him by his name, they even enjoyed his company even if it was at his expense. Maybe he could catch the Warners again, that would make Mr. Plotz change his mind...

_ Oh wait, the Warners aren't here._

He remembered how Plotz didn't want anybody to join the search. It was really confusing, his job was to find and catch the Warners if they dissapeared from their tower, now that they were gone he couldn't go look for them? He had no idea what happened to those three, but he hoped that they were alright. Before he could dwell on this thought any longer, an odd smell drifed into his nostils.

The scent of burning wood made him think of two possible scenarios, either someone had finished cooking some barbeque, or the Warners returned and were trying to give him another hot foot. He bent down to see his foot wasn't smoldering as expected. Then remembered that he had already let the chef go earlier that afternoon. So what else could it have been? A flash of warm air crept his backside. In a rare instance, a horrible realization came to him.

_Oh no!_

Within seconds he scrambled up the water tower's ladder. He huffed and puffed after climbing each rung. Finally after a few minutes, he reached the top. What laid before him was unthinkable. To the far left of him, pillows of black smoke rose higher and higher into the night sky. Rooftops blazed bright yellow before disintegrating into blowing embers. Down below, several employee could be seen fleeing from the scene. Without hesitation, he pulled out his cell phone to dial 911. It was the last thing the studio needed right now, a fire.

**Hope you all liked this one. It was really challenging since this is my first time working with some of these characters. The next chapter will feature a little more action, so stay tuned for more comming soon!**


	3. Chapter 2: A Case Reopened

**Hey, I'm back! I had finals and a few personal issues to deal with. Plus, this is the last time I do most of my proofreading on Doc Manager. Thanks for your kind and critical reviews. And to answer one persons review, this story should have at least 12 chapters at the minimum. Like I said before, this story will be a little different than you expect. Hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

Chapter 2: A Case Reopened, A Gang Reunited

… _Firefighters have finally gotten the fire under control at Warner Bros. Studios. Luckily, it was reported that no one was seriously hurt. We have tried to contact the C.E.O for…_

… _In other news police and ACME Labs officals are still on the lookout for two lab mice Pinky and the Brain…"_

_Plotz has announced that Warner Bros. will be temporarily closed until further notice..._

_...Foul is the perfect word to describe the studios new movie Fowl Play, one of the worst movies of the year..._

… _With the failure of the studio's movie, many are now considering the possibility that Warner Bros. Studios is on the verge of bankruptcy…_

A few weeks later. April 15th 10:12 PM

_Why did my alarm clock have to stop working today?!_

This was just perfect. The first day he was allowed to come back on studio grounds, and he was 12 minutes late. Scratensniff, duffle bag in hand, huffed and puffed as he sprinted towards Mr Plotz's office building. Plotz couldn't have picked a better time to have a meeting. What was it for? He'd have to hope Plotz wouldn't be to angry at him to find out.

Within a few moments he burst through the door to Plotz's office. The room was packed. Outside from the obvious absences, pretty much all of the cast members were here. He darted his head to either side of the room. Plotz wasn't present. Although he looked to be in the clear, he had to be sure. He searched for Nurse to fill him in on what he might have missed. Along the way he gave quick greetings to the other cast members.

"Hi Mr psychiatrist! Said Mindy. Her companion Buttons, simply barked.

"Nice seeing ya again" Rita greeted.

"Hi, definitely hi!" Runt barked.

So much had changed since the show ended, Scratchensniff thought. Minevera had her own line of perfume. Mindy was about to finish elementary school. Buttons managed to sue her negligent parents and became her legal guardian. Scratchensniff was still puzzled how he was able to pull that off. Rita and Runt were now famous Broadway stars. He liked that despite their new popularity, they remained humble...Now if only he could say the same for the Hip Hippos. Ever since they stared in one of the Warner's movie " Le Kopera" a rock opera, not did their popularity grow, but so did their egos.

"Nurse, there you are" He finally spotted her on the far side of the room. She was tending to Squit who looked like a mummified pear underneath the wraps. Next to him was Bobby taunting a ticked off Pesto who had his beak wrapped up. When she saw him, her face brightened up.

"Doctor, I was starting to wonder if you were going to show up" she responded.

"Please don't tell me, I missed ze meeting" he fretted anxiously. She shook her head.

"Far from it, Plotz hasn't even came in yet"

"Really, he hasn't?"

"Ah you know how Plotz is, always putting stuff off for the dramatics." Slappy Squirrel spoke up. She casually rested an arm on Plotz's desk. "All I know is he better get here soon, I got to drop Skippy at school and bridge game at 11." Skippy, who was well into middle school was sitting on top of Plotz's desk, completely invested in a hand held video game.

"Ah, It's you, haven't seen you in a while" A male European voice answered to someone behind him. Scratchensniff knew who it was. He turned around to see the Hip hippos, Flavio and Maria towering over someone in the doorway. It was Ralph looking up at them with an annoyed scowl. Had they not said anything Scratchensniff would have ignored him completely. "So, where have you been, pigging out at the café?" Flavio tauntingly asked him.

"That explains why it took him so long to notice the fire" Maria added.

"Uh, but, but yous is fatter than me" Ralph uttered what Scratchensniff thought was supposed to be a comeback. Flavio bumped his blue gut in front of the guard's face.

Were not fat." he replied coldly. "For hippos, were big enough for our size. What's your excuse?" Maria gently rubbed her husband's chin.

"Come darling, he bothers me" she replied. The hippos walked off hand in hand, leaving Ralph alone at the door.

"Vhy hello Flavio and Maria..." they passed by Scratchy without a passing glance. Nurse sent a dissaproving stare in their direction.

"Hmph. They star in_ one_ movie and they act like their royalty" she scoffed. The two of them stared back at Ralph who had slovenly leaned against the wall. "God, he looks terrible"

"Really? I couldn't tell" Slappy spoke dismissively. Scratchensniff quickly took notice and nodded in agreement. She was right. Never known for being clean cut, Ralph's unshaven facial hair had darkened a few shades. His blue suit was slightly wrinkled and his tie wasn't properly straightened. While Ralph wasn't exactly a neat person, this seemed really odd. He felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Doctor, may I suggest something?" Nurse asked. It wasn't often she did this, but Scratchensnifff was always willing to allow it.

"Vhy yes" he answered gratefully.

"Doctor. You're good with people, why don't you try to talking to him?" she asked. Scratchensniff briefly blinked in hesitation.

While he appreciated the compliment, he didn't find it all to true. He did _not_ want to deal with him, he'd never been very approachable to begin with. Knowing him, Scratchensniff was not surprised to know it took Ralph a long time to respond to the fire. Despite his years of psychiatric study, he had enough common sense to know that Ralph was just a simple dunderhead. But still...

He paused briefly before he gave his answer."Vell..."

As if on cue, the door opened. Everyone went silent as Plotz and his secretary Corden came through the doorway. Skippy hopped off his desk just as Corden placed a few files on top of it. Plotz made his way towards his office's large window, his signature scowl on his face. For several seconds he stared out at the view in front of him. Outside was a scenic view of several burnt out studio buildings. The Warners water tower stood proudly amidst the ruins.

Scratchensniff knew his office was among the charred remains outside the window. All he had left was in his duffle bag, a few files, a framed picture of the Warners, and Mr. Puppethead. He was grateful to have thought about packing these things before he left earlier that day. Plots clearing his throat regained his attention.

"Everyone, Iv'e gathered you all here for an important situation." the CEO stated formally. "Our studio is in a financial studio crisis, two more of our best stars have gone missing, On top of this fire, the media already on us as is" He rubbed the bags underneath his eyes. "If we don't do something soon. Well, we'll all be out of job.

Scractensniff along with the rest of cast members gasped in horror. The idea that Warner Bros would close was unthinkable. It wasn't just a place to work, it was also a home. Most of the cast still lived on and around studio grounds. To make matters worse, it was already hard for toons find work nowadays, it would be even harder if they came from a studio that's no longer in business. Studio association mattered when it came to toons. If you didn't have an active studio in your background, your chances of getting a job were about easy as performing rocket science.

"So under the suggestion of a few board members..." He gave a wary look at his secretary. "I've taken the liberty in hiring a few private detectives to help figure things out". A human toon proudly barged into the room carrying a brief case in his left hand. He had fat and stocky biuld that almost rivaled Ralph's, and a thick brown mustache to match his thick brown hair. Scratchy was slightly taken aback at his casual appearance; dark gray pants and vest, a sand colored shirt, and an unstraightened red tie.

_Maybe hes one of those undercover detectives_. The man set his brief case on the desk.

"Good morning, sir" he greeted in rough voice. "And I'd like to say its honor to be invited in your..."

"Save the small talk, introduce yourself" Plotz snapped impatiently. The portly toon blinked for a moment before clearing his throat.

" Well um, alright. My name is Lucky Piquel..."

"Pickle?" Mindy giggled in background along with a few others. Scratchensniff could tell from the man's irritated sigh that this wasnt first time someone called him by that name.

"It's _Piquel,_ Police officer and detective of the Los Angelels Toon Divison." he set the briefcase up on its side. Scratchensniff had never seen this person, but yet he seemed very familiar. Maybe it was someone who he was with...

_Oh-no..._

"And this is…" He gulped as if he were about regret his introduction. As he gingerly opened the briefcase, a spotted orange ball blast out and bounced all over the room. It zipped past Ralph's head, knocking his cap off, before planting itself on the desk. It turned into a orange bobcat with black spots and blue police uniform.

"Hiya ho there! It's…Bonkers!" the toon chriped in a peppy voice. The crowd's reaction was spontaneous.

"Attack!" Skippy cried out. In an instant, the cast members hurled a volley of rotten fruit and vegetables upon the two detectives. Both Scratchensniff and Nurse dodged out of the way just as a watermelon zipped by them and exploded at Plotz's feet. His secretary was not spared.

"What is wrong with you?! Stop! Stop it!" Plotz yelled. The cast members froze in place, some of their food suspended in mid air.

Tough crowd" Lucky grumbled as he stepped over the pile of food at his feet.

"Hey, your wife says we needed to start eating more greens" Bonkers replied as he nonchalantly bit out of a head of lettuce.

"Sorry about that. The cast members can get a little…ecstatic" Plotz apologized, trying to hide his irritation.

"Geez if they got static then you might need to adjust your TV antenna" Bonkers retorted.

"No they, nevermind" Plotz sputtered.

Bonkers was never very popular among the studio. Scratchensniff didn't know why exactly, he just wasn't. He briefly recollected how the show would occasionally rip on him every now and then, and was always perplexed on why the Warners didnt' like him either. He seemed just as zany and destructive as them. So he thought.

Bonkers came forward and vigorously shook Mr. Plotz's hand. Plotz's yelped as his entire body violently wobbled .

"I gotta say, its an honor to meet you. So you're the top dog, the fat cat, the big kahuna, the really big guy,The tall tree in the…!" the bobcat chattered rapidly.

"I think he gets the point Bonkers" Lucky cut in.

"Oops, sorry. Honest mistake" Bonkers apologized.

"Think nothing of it" Plotz staggered dizzily. The bobcat stood on top of his head as if it were a podium.

"But, still we're happy to be here, well do everything we can to bring justice for distressed toons. We don't judge, we don't care if your DIsney, MGM, or...!" Bonkers continued to gush more excessive chatter for the next several seconds.

Scratchensniff harshly rubbed his head, he was starting to see why the Warners didn't care for him that much. Several of the cast members were groaning or covering their ears.

"_Mama tu fagila_! This guys like Tigger on helium over here!" Bobby complained in the commotion.

"Is he always like this?" Scratchy asked Lucky.

"You don't know the half of it. But, you get used to it after a while." the cop muttered.

"Really?" Scratchy asked.

"Nope."

"...As fellow toon, its such a tragedy that such a group of talented and unlucky guys have to be ambushed in their prime" Bonkers swooned melodramaticlally.

"Oh geez…" Lucky sighed, rubbing the brim of his nose.

" A travesty it is! It used to be safe back when I was once a toon star. Its just so terrible when a toon cant even walk on the same street anymore !" Bonkers leaned against Plotz's shoulder and burst into a fountain of tears, much to Plotz's discomfort. Lucky rolled his eyes.

"Cut it with the hysterics, weve got a job to do" the cop flicked his partner's long ears. Bonkers excitedly perked up as if nothing happened.

"Right, back to buisness" He chirped happily. Plotz lightly patted his soaked suit jacket.

"Can we get back to the situation at hand?" he asked, finally having enough of this.

"What hand? I thought this at Warner Bros!" Bonkers asked quizically.

"It is!" Plotz responded angrily.

"So Which hand? My hands?" Bonkers held up his own gloved hands.

"No!"

"Your hands?"

"Yes, I mean no!" Plotz's face flashed a bright shade of crimson.

"These hands?"Bonkers raised up one of Runt's paws.

"Those are paws!" Out of nowhere, Ralph raised his own hand.

"Is it my hand?" he cut in. Plotz clenched his fists together as his face went purple.

"No! Just tell us what the hell's going on!" he shouted. The bobcat instantly shut up and jumped back a bit. Scratchensniff groaned, these guys were off to a bad start.

"Handled that like a charm" Lucky muttered dryly.

"Alright, alright no need to impersonate a tea kettle" said Bonkers. "Were here to reopen a closed case. We believe that the Warner's are not dead." The crowd went silent.

"If this is your idea of joke we ain't laughing; but after seeing your show we probably couldn't tell the difference." Slappy spat critically. Plotz stormed in front of Bonkers.

"Why you are bringing those guys up?! I hired you to figure out what happned with the fire...!" Bonkers shushed him.

"Be patient well get to that. We will, we will" He leaned in closer, "Personally, we think they're connected".

"How are you sure?" Plotz asked.

"I've got a hunch, and luckily its not the kind on my back either" Bonkers responded. " You see, we..." A bulky hand covered his mouth.

"Let me handle this..." Lucky grumbled before speaking aloud to the crowd. "Alright, so the Warners disappeared last year in the middle of the night on April 1..." he began to explain.

"Tell us something we don't know!" Rita exclaimed.

"At first it was said that the plane simply did a magic trick and vamoosed from sight. The plane has remained missing since then." A small smirk came across his face "But a couple pics from a remote part of Yosemite National Park, proved other wise. Bonkers slide."

Bonkers took off his blue cap and dumped several items onto the floor; dice, a raft, magazines, and several balloons. He picked up a gray balloon and blew into it. It expanded until it morphed into an actual slide projector. Plotz dimmed the lights just as Bonkers turned it on. The slide's image was projected on a wall.

"Skippy close your eyes, this might get graphic" Slappy advised. Her nephew scoffed.

"Aw Slappy, I'm a man, I can handle it" Skippy replied.

The first shot was exactly what Scratchensniff feared, a plane crash. It was the crumpled up remains of a small white jet the Warners flew on. The mangled heaps of metal nearly made him sick to his stomach. The front end was partily submurged in a nearby lake. Both wings were ripped clean off. The whole thing had slowly been over take by several bushes and small trees.

"These were taken by us just a few days ago. We finally got a chance to look at wreckage; at first we figured it was straightforward case. Hijacker lost control of plane and crashed into woods, that kind of deal. But them we noticed a few details. Bonkers, slide." The next slide featured the damaged remains of the cockpit. Amidst the torn metal and foliage, in the middle were three red seats.

"Look at these seats, they aren't even buckled up. Normally, passengers have to remain seated when preparing for a crash landing. Our guess is that the Warner had no intention on doing so". He pointed to the plane's inside hull. It was peppered with several dents.

"There seem to be signs of a struggle, Look at the side of the hull, these dents look _far_ too small to caused by the main impact." He pointed to a dent that appeared to be fist imprint.

"Someone had to have a _pretty_ strong left hook to make one of those dents." Bonkers commented briefly. His partner then pointed a small circular dent. "... And mean swing to make the other ones."

_Just like Wakko's mallet_

"But as for remains, All we found were footprints..." Lucky continued. The next slide nearly made Scratchensniff tear up, It was a close up shot of the cockpit floor. to the far right was a faint bootprint. To the left was another one that was unmistakably clear. It was tiny three toed footprint, with two smaller spots inside it.

_Just like the one Dot has…_

"...And these three things". On screen were three items lined up on a table, a size 11 black and white bowling shoe, a brass knuckle, and a scorched wooden paddle that was missing it's ball.

_Just like the one Yakko had..._ This one definitely made him tear up. Nurse handed him a tissue to wipe his eyes. This was too much. Scratchensniff was begging to see something different then what he saw now. His eyes dried instantly at the next slide.

It was Lucky in nothing but boxer shorts and bunny slippers. Scratchensniff shuddered as a wave of shouts and laughter erupted.

_Maybe I should have been more specific._

Skippy screamed in horror as he huddled behind her aunts back.

"Told ya."Slappy commented.

A red faced Lucky jumped in front of the projected slide. "Bonkers! Slide, Slide! Slide!"

"He he! Sorry must have slipped in" Bonkers chuckled before switching back to the previous slide. Lucky cleared his throat to regain his composure.

"As grizzly as this scene, is ..." Another slide featured Lucky being chased by a grizzly bear.

"Pun intended" Bonkers cut in, receiving another glare from Lucky before he continued.

"There's something also missing, parachutes." The next slide showed an open metal hatch near the door where the parachutes would have been. "And yet there is a there is trail of boot prints that led from here to right out the emergency door".

"But this doesn't prove that they are still alive!" Plots blurted aloud. "They could have landed in the woods and starved to death." Scratchsniff almost scoffed at the idea, Wakko would've eaten the whole forest before starvation would come into play.

"Not exactly" Lucky interjected. "Bonkers slide" The next slide was a ranger station's cabin at the park. "We got a chance to talk to one of the rangers at Yellowstone. Apparently, about the same time the crash occurred, an incident was reported when one of his squad cars got stolen by two unidentified men, just 100 miles away" Bonkers turned off the projector and appeared right beside Lucky.

"Don't you guys get it, the Warners were never _in_ the plane when it crashed. Something or somebody forced them to jump ship." Bonkers said as a matter of fact. "The Warners, have been kidnapped." Everyone gasped.

"…And we think your missing mice had something to do with it." Lucky finished his statement. The cast members didn't take this well as the volley of fruit resumed. Plotz jumped into the line of fire again.

"Stop!" he screamed. The cast members did as they were told and stopped. "Thank you-" A stray tomato splattered against his cheek. Plotz angrily beamed an eye at the crowd.

"Oops, Sorry, My arthritis is acting up." Slappy answered. Lucky wiped a splattered egg off his head.

"Look, were not saying they did it, but the evidence that's available doesn't seem to work in their favor. Come on, don't tell me you think this isn't odd. Three big stars disappear, and the only other two people who probably might know what happened dissapear? And right before the fire too? Unless we can find new evidence to disprove it, it doesn't look good for them." Lucky sighed. Several of the cast members murmured among themselves about the grim possibility that the two mice were criminals.

"Which is why we're here today!" Bonkers added cheerfully. " If we find the Warners...well find the mice!"

Scratchensniff was in a sublime state of shock. He was overjoyed at the possibility that the Warners were still there, but at the same time horrified that someome else had them. This raised many serious questions. _Where are now? Are they hurt? Who or what has them?! _And were Pinky and the Brain really responsible for this? No, he knew them better than that.

"For this investigation, I'll need a few _special_ acquaintances, to assist me in this search party. So let's play a little game. Simon says raise your hands if you regularly saw the Warners at least once a month!" everyone did as Bonkers said and raised their hands. "Simon says keep your hands up if you've seen them every week!" a few hands went back down. "Simon says keep your hands up if you've seen them every day!" at this point the only people with their hands raised were Scratchensniff, Nurse, Ralph, and Plotz.

"What's the point of this?" Plotz grumbled as he put his hand down. Bonkers pointed an accusatory finger at him.

"Ah, I didn't say Simon says! I need people who been with them the longest. Who better to find these guys, than the guys who knew them best?" Out of nowhere, a single spotlight shone down on him. "Ladies and Gentlemen, you guys are candidates for our next search party! All you need is approval from my big pal here!" He playfully pounded at Lucky's big gut, who did not look the least bit happy.

"Come on, Bonkers this is ridiculous… You can't honestly expect these guys would willingly take out time to go on a time consuming invest-"

I vill go" Scratchensniff spoke without hesitation. All eyes turned towards him. While he never considered himself to be an opportunist, this was a golden exception he wasn't willing to pass up. Plotz eyes widened at his sudden response. Bonkers jumped for joy, confetti and streamers spurt from his uniform

"Welcome aboard sir, the 1st to volunteer!"

"Scratchensniff, you cant be serious" Plotz exclaimed. Scratchensniff turned to him.

"But sir, you've said time und time again that ze Warners are my responsibility, it's only fitting that I should go" he countered. Plotz's frown of uncertainty remained in place.

"Well, I guess if you put that way..."

"Of course its alright!"Bonkers interjected before he planted a kiss on his bald head. Scratchy grimaced, it didn't feel the same. "And, besides he looks like a nice well tempered, fun guy!" he added just before rummaging through his duffle bag.

So what was your relationship the Warners?" Lucky asked quizzically.

"I was their psychiatrist, my job was to control their zany attitudes"

"Did you do it?"

"Eh..." His train of thought was interrupted by Bonkers taking the puppet out his bag.

"Say whose this , Senor Puppteman?" the physchiatrist snatched it from his hands.

"His name is Mr Puppethead!" Scratchensniff screeched defensively. The two detectives stared at him as if he was crazy.

"Well that answers my question" Lucky spoke under breath. Nurse stood up and rushed towards his side, no doubt sensing he was making a terrible first impression.

"I'm coming too, I'm his personal assistant. Mr Piquel, Scratchensniff has over several years in dealing with the Warners, if anybody knows who might have taken them, he's the expert"

"Sorry misses…" Lucky interrupted.

"Nurse"

"Right, But this type work is only for seasoned professionals like ourselves" HE looked behind him to see Bonkers doing a handstand on top of Scratchy's head. "We wouldn't want you to worry-"

"Oh I suppose I'll fit in just fine, besides it might get dangerous, who will you turn to for immediate medical attention?" she replied, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Someone might whack you and you end up with a concussion"

"Uh.." he stammered.

"You could get into scuffle and receive many cuts, bruises, and broken bones" she gently pricked at his arm.

"Well um.."

"There may not always be a hospital to vouch for that. But of course that's just an assumption." she shrugged.

"Shes got you there big boy" said Bonkers.

"Alright fine, both of you can come" Lucky answered. A bright smile appeared on both her and Scratchensniff face. He was always amazed at how persuasive she could be.

Wait! " Ralph panted as he eagerly stepped forward. His goofy demeanor seemed to return for a brief moment. "Duh, can I comes too?

"He just said you were a candidate" Lucky answered.

"What types of candy are I?" Ralph scratched his head. Plotz buried his face into his hands.

"Really, Ralph you don't have to do this…" Plotz pleaded desperately "Really!"

"I used to chase da Warners every time they gots out the tower. I still even have postcards from them." Ralph propsed, trying his best to sound literate. "Im big and strong, I could be your, your..."

"...Bodyguard!, you could watch out for any bad guys that might try to kill us" Bonkers responded inappropriately cheerily.

"Excuse me?" Scratchy asked nervously.

"Just kidding, I doubt its going to be that dangerous." Bonkers dismissed. Red hearts appeared in his eyes as he looked up at the nurse curvaceous body " Still I don't mind the nurse satying around" he swooned.

Nurse pointed at her own eyes "These are up here, thank you"

Ralph stood between her and Scratchensniff and proudly puffed his chest up. "Don't worry guys I wont let anybody get you twos. If I see trouble I'll be looking out for, for…"

"…the nearest donut shop." Flavio finished derisively, creating a few chuckles from the others. .Ralph's face nearly flushed bright red as his chest deflated. Lucky rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, I was a security guy myself starting out, guys like you are always welcome" Lucky complitmented.

"You's mean its?" Ralph gasped.

" Why not, we got already enough _interesting_ people on b-"

"Ah Thanks!" Ralph graciously embraced him in a constricting hug.

"Your welcome, now let go of me." the cop strained breathlessly. Ralph let go before he cut off his circulation.

"You better count me in too" Plotz came forward.

"Your actually coming with us too?" Scratchensniff asked. He was suprised at how willing he was to go along with this.

"Of course I am , this is the future of Warner Bros. were talking here!"

Bonkers planted a wet kiss on his head. "Yes! It so noble that a noble guy like yourself is willing to risk your life time for three defenseless toons" Plotz squeezed his mouth shut hoping to prevent another melodramatic speech.

"Of course, I ve know those three pes- I mean kids for almost of my life. I'm right behind this all the way" Plots stated proudly.

"Well that's everyone!" Bonkers exclaimed.

Plotz turned to the cast members before him." Now I want all the rest of you to go home and sit tight"

"We don't want any more of you getting caught up this," Corden added, who remained silent up until now. "If we're dealing with a kidnapping here, whats stopping anyone else from becoming a target?" Despite various protests, everyone eventually complied.

"Well, you're lucky I got still got a nephew to care for. Or else then I'd really raise hell about this." Slappy complained.

Mr. Plotz decided to end the meeting "Well what are you waiting for, go! All of you! Get out of here!" he pointed towards the door. In no time at all, everyone cleared out of the office except for Corden, the detectives, and the four new search party members. It was here when the feeling of excitement wore off, Scratchensniff froze for a brief moment. Then he slapped the side of his head in a frustrating realization.

_What did I get myself into? I have no idea how to solve mysteries_.

XXXX

Plotz wasn't surprised at the amount of skeptic frowns and mutterings he caught as the others peeled out the door. It had only been a few minutes and already this plan wasn't looking good. Right across from him, Scratchensniff, Nurse, and Ralph were patiently awaiting his response.

The four of them stood in awkward silence for a few moments. It had years since they had gotten together for anything. The last time they done that was when they figured out a plan to keep the Warners from starting an all out prank war with the cast members from _Jackass_. Only difference between now and then was back then, they actually knew what to do.

Ralph finally broke the silence, "Duh, that was a pretty good speech boss."

"Thank you, which is why I would like to ask… where do we start?!" Plotz yelled. Bonkers appeared from underneath his coat jacket, making him jump. He was really starting to hate this guy.

"Where else? The scene of the crime!" He blew into a bugle hed taken from his uniform. "Onward people! To the ACME labs!" the bobcat pointed towards the window's open slides and gleefully jumped out of it.

"There was door to this office, why didn't you use it?!" Lucky called out after him. He cursed under his breath as he jogged out of his office. Scratchensniff, Ralph and Nurse quickly followed after him. Corden and the CEO stood alone in the room. If this was Corden's idea of a rut, then the Grand canyon was a ditch.

"Gah, that stupid bobcat! Volunteers indeed!" Plotz furiously pounded a fist his desk. If he still had plenty of hair on his head, he would have gladly ripped it all out.

"Plotz, what's the problem? You wanted to do this case right?" Corden asked.

"Of course not Corden!, I only joined because those three loonies will mess everything up!" He assumed the detectives would just solve one case on their own and that would be it. Reopening an expensive case, and bringing along a volunteer search party was the last thing he had in mind. Unlike Scratchensniff, Plotz thought Bonkers was way off in his decision of picking them. These guys were just employees, not detectives. They would be little to no help in his eyes.

"I don't know,are you sure that's " Plotz poked a finger at his long nose.

" If I remember, _you_ suggested this idea. " he snapped critically. "Be grateful I'm willing to go through with it, I'm just pitching in to make sure this doesn't backfire"

"Oh, I see where your getting at. It's like you're a supervisor" Corden's face brightened. Plotz smiled, finally he was starting to see it his way "Say, Why not take a couple days off while your at it? You have been overworked" As tempting as it sounded, Plotz couldn't afford to that

"Nonsense, I should only be gone for a day or two, In the meantime, you're in charge! You can handle that can you?" Corden's eyes winded at his offer. Plotz trusted him enough, he figured that he couldn't do much damage in that amount of time.

"Oh, of course sir!" the secretary eagerly replied. " But wait, what about Globwobber? We still have the issue with that loan to deal with." Plotz paused for a moment, he had forgotten about that.

"Set me one up for me later on this week. Corden I aughta give you a reward for your tactful thinking"

"Like a raise perhaps?" Corden asked hopefully.

"Don't push your luck!"Plotz scoffed. Turning towards the door, he barely noticed Corden's satisfied grin as he plopped himself behind his desk. As he slammed the door, he turned around to see a pair green eyes right in his face.

"Oh, Slappy. What are you still doing here?" Plotz jumped, slightly taken aback.

"Forgot my purse" she replied stone faced. So, everything good?

"Oh sure, sure". Plotz dimissliy answered. She said nothing as she went inside to get her purse and came back out. He really hoped that she didn't overhear everything. He felt stupid trying to pretend, despite her old age, Slappy was still sharp as a tack. And the old squirrel would no doubt blab to the cast if she knew what he just said.

I've only got one question..." she asked sternly. Plotz muscled tensed. "Why Bonkers, of all the guys to get, why him? Why not Dick Tracy? That masked duck guy whatever his name is, or even those hippie kids with the dumb dog?"

"They were either unavailable or refused to work for cheap." Plotz answered slightly relived. She still continued to stare at him.

"You don't fool me for a moment Plotz, but I'll let you go on this one." She turned here back and disappeared down the hallway. He wasn't entirely convinced that she didn't know, but he would have to worry about that later. The others were probably halfway to the labs right now. He quickly hurried after them. Along the way he only had one thought on his mind.

_I'm going to save this studio at any cost. And as long as the others stay out of my way_, _I can do that._


	4. Chapter 3: First Stop ACME Labs

**A/N: Hey I'm back! Hope you all had a great fourth of July! I've been busy finishing up school and searching for a new job. But I''m back again!**

Chapter 3: First Stop ACME Labs

12:00 PM

Plotz's chest was on fire as he hurried to catch up with the rest of the group. Every other minute he had to keep stopping to catch his breath. Running in a suit on a hot and humid day was not a good idea. He silently cursed to himself.

_Anyone can tell these stubby legs weren't made for running!_

If he wasn't going to admit this to the others, he might as well admit it to himself. He did not want any part of this investigation. But then again, as much as he hated it, he felt he was the only one who had any experience in dealing with these investigations. He'd call up whatever detective was needed for the job, pay them up front, answer any questions on behalf of the entire studio, let them do their job, mystery gets solved, everyone's happy. The unorthodox idea of bringing employees along put big crick in this simple enough routine. Finally, he met up with the others just as they passed through a flimsy barrier of yellow caution tape.

Despite the partly cloudy day, he still couldn't help but be haunted at the gloomy sight that surrounded him. The fire had razed at least a third of the studio property. Several buildings with varying amounts of damage laid to either side. Many had missing roofs, others had caved in floors. Smoke damage stained the studio's signature water tower dark gray. Aside from the occasional officer or two, the area along with the rest of the studio was completely vacant. Passing each building, Plotz mentally tallied up the damage costs.

_Ohh..! 2 million, 4 million, 6 million..!_

Plotz estimated that the extent of the damage would reach at _least_ 10 million dollars. This couldn't have happened at a worse time. There was barely enough money to keep the studio running, no less enough to cover a fire.

He was grateful his father wouldn't be around to see this. Ever since Plotz took over the company, they never saw eye to eye. Plotz always insisted that he would run it far better and efficient than his father ever did. He felt he would be continuing a rich legacy that been going strong for decades. It was over 50 years ago when he thought that, and now his studio was on the verge of folding. So much history was made in these buildings. Big names, memorable movies, and serious gross profit. Now part of that was probably gone forever. But he had to find out what happened. And whoever did this, was going to pay.

XXXX

At one point, Scratchensniff and the gang passed by what was left of his office building. Although he and Nurse temporarily relocated their work at a nearby hospital, it still didn't feel the same. All of their appointments had to be set up through the hospital's system instead of being done on their own. He prefered having his own space where he could be intimate with his patients.

_Boy, Yakko would have a field day with that last statement._

He refused to look at it. Too many memories were made in that building; but the only one he could think of was the one that changed his life forever, the day the Warners escaped. Right now would been the time for their daily sessions. He remembered how in the beggining he used to dread them. What he wouldn't give to have one right now.

An onimous sight that laid before him interupted his thoughts. He stopped in his tracks, along with everyone else.

ACME Labs had literally burnt down to the ground. The front end of had completely collapsed in a pile of black rubble. This building was always packed with people, Scratchensniff thought. It was a mircale no one was killed. The group went around towards the back of the building where the laboratory once stood. Luckily, most of the loose debris had since been removed last week, making it less hazardous to move around. All that was left were scorched machinery and counters.

"Well, lets get started!" Bonkers broke the silence. With a determined scowl he got down all fours and sniffed at the charcoal stained ground.

Lucky rolled his eyes as he took out a notepad. "So, tell us what you know about these two"

Scratchensniff began to open his mouth when Plotz spoke up. "Well, they were two of our biggest stars, right behind the Warners on the show Animaniacs".

"What did they look like?"

"Both of them were white lab mice; Brain was short and stout with a big head, he was very smart. Pinky was the tall lanky one, he wasn't very bright…"

Plotz continued to give more information about the lab mice, where they lived, their diet, there relationship with Warner Bros studio, how they got their own show, general stuff. He left out two minor things such as the fact they happened to be mad scientists bent of world domination. He must have figured that bit of information wouldn't exactly work in their favor. While Scratchensniff understood, he also found it needlessly paranoid. He glanced at Nurse who simply crossed her arms with a blank expression. Ralph stared at the ground as Bonkers was circling around his feet.

"…In fact they had the Warner's plane built themselves. Real brilliant those guys are" Plotz finished explaining.

"So, when was the last time you all saw Pinky and the Brain?" Lucky asked.

"About few weeks ago in my office"

"Dr. Scratchensniff and I saw them in our office about a week before the fire." Nurse spoke up. " They wanted to borrow couple of pens"

"I-I saws them da day of the fire" Ralph rose his hand. "Theys came in around rights before closing time." The detective's eye brows rose with interest.

"Did they say anything suspicious?"

"Oh, they said something about uh, taking care some plans at the lab. But Is forget what they were"

"Did you ever see them leave?"

"Well, uh… no." Ralph admitted guiltily. Bonkers ears perked up when he stopped sniffing.

"I don't think he would have been able too, look!" Bonkers sprinted towards a fence far off behind them. In the middle, a section of the fence had been flattened, creating a large enough gap for anything to get through. He pointed at the ground below it. Winding black trails that curled inside, right along the edge of the building's foundation, and right back outside the fence. "Tire tracks! All terrain to be specific!"

"But they don't own a car! I should know because I personally charge everyone for parking" Plotz interjected.

"Looks like they had some unwanted company on the night of the fire." Bonkers suggested.

"Or a getaway vehicle to bail them out" Lucky added.

"Very interesting…" The orange bobcat continued sniffing the ground. " I'm going to get to the bottom of this…!" With a high pitched scream he disappeared beneath the floor. A loud crash followed afterwards . Everyone hurried over to where he fell. On the ground was a large square hole. Inside, a long concrete staircase descended into a pitch black void.

"Bonkers, you alright?" Lucky called out.

"Watch that first step… it's a doozy" Bonkers dizzily echoed in the darkness.

Lucky flicked on a flashlight as he descended down the stairs. "Follow me"

Ralph's knees and arms were shaking. "We's goin down there?" his voice trembled.

"Oh what's wrong ya big baby?" Plotz replied impatiently.

"But its all dark and scary down there!"

"Fine! Stay out here if you like" Plotz spat as he trudged downstairs.

Scratchensniff shrugged as he and Nurse followed after him. They cautiously moved down the stairs, their hands to the walls for extra support. The walls on either side were damp, blackened, and starting to mold. Scratchensniff couldn't blame Ralph for being a little spooked, this seemed like a scene straight out of the 'Haunted Mansion'. He wondered where did this lead to.

"Be careful, these steps are little slippery…" Lucky warned.

"Yaagh..!" the sound of Ralph's voice hit Scratchensniff just before his massive guild caught up. He along with the others were squished upon impact.

Everyone fell in rowdy tumble down the stairs before landing with a loud thud. Lucky lost the flashlight, putting them back into the dark. Scratchensniff managed to squeeze his head out from underneath the groaning heap of bodies.

"Didn't anybody listen to me? I said 'watch out for the first step!" an annoyed Bonkers answered in the dark.

I forgot, sue me." Lucky replied sarcastically. "See if you can find my flashlight"

But we don't need it, we got lights" Scratchensniff heard the click of a nearby light switch.

Surprisingly, lights actually came on. For a moment Scratchensniff squinted as the sudden first thing he saw was Bonkers orange feet. Then it was Bonkers taking out a classic Polaroid camera and immediately snapping pictures. The next sight was a shocker. This couldn't be real. He almost thought his glasses were broken. The others helped themselves up as they gazed at what laid in front of them.

A secret laboratory. Beakers and machinery lined the medium sized room. Decorated along the walls were blueprints for different projects. Aside from a few singed lab jackets on the floor, and few charred cabinets near the staircase, it looked hardly anything in here had been touched by the fire. In fact water damage seemed be a bigger problem as loose drywall and plaster hung from the ceiling and littered the wet floor. Scratchensniff speculated a burst pipe, or water had leaked in from the terrible storm last week.

He couldn't believe it. Brain had invited him to the lab on several occasions, but he didn't recall him ever showing this part of the lab before. Knowing how secretive Brain was, they must have made the entire lab by themselves.

Incredible!" Nurse gazed at a flask of still bubbling purple liquid.

"All of this without outside assistance…" Scratchensniff marveled at a glass display of different rock samples.

"…And without a permit!" Plotz grumbled, scanning the walls for any legal documents. Bonkers hopped on top of a countertop island in the middle of the room.

"Cool, This is some keen gear here!" He playfully juggled 5 plugged corked beakers in his gloved hands.

Lucky snatched them out of his hands. "Careful Bonkers! some of this stuff can be used as-" something made of glass hit the ground. "…evidence."

Ralph beamed sheepish grin as he placed his blue hat on top of a broken beaker. Lucky shook his head before turning back to the counter. Bonkers had disappeared. Unamused, he crossed his arms.

"Alright Bonkers, where are ya?" An enormous eyeball appeared at the other side of the counter. Lucky jumped back with a high pitched yelp, nearly falling on his bottom. It was really Bonkers staring through a large magnifying glass about the same size as his head. Scratchensniff would have chuckled had he not given out a girly shriek of his own.

"What are you doing?" Lucky asked angrily.

"What you've always told me buddy, In order to find the clues, A real detective looks for _all_ the close up details" he scanned a variety of different items that were strewn on the counter." It could be anything, like this cup, this big cheese wheel…" he took a whiff. "Mmm… Cheddar! Or these broken pens, or these faint red stains, blood or lasagna perhaps" Bonkers didn't realize he'd gradually moved towards the end of the table and right up Lucky's gut. The cop rubbed at his shirt.

"Congratulations, you found out what I had for lunch today" Lucky replied flatly.

"Excuse me" Nurse spoke up. "Would this be clue?" She had sauntered off to the corner of the room and ginergly picked up an empty can. While warped and singed from the heat, the label read "Paint thinner, Courtesy of Slim Scrapyard Shop Co."

The manigfying glass shattered on the floor. Lucky and Plotz gapsed in response. Scratchensniff shivered at the sight of it. Bonkers jaw dropped just before he ran behind Lucky's legs.

"No, no! Not that stuff!" Bonkers moaned.

"Whats so bad about paint thinner?" Ralph asked. Scratchensniff looked at him as if he were a complete idiot, then he remembered this was Ralph he was talking about here. Bonkers latched on to the guard's shirt, tears streaming from his eyes.

"It's the worstest thing thing to ever come in contact with a toon, it's a diabolical liquid of disasterous proprtions...!" Bonkers blubbered intensely.

"Uhh.." Ralph droned. Scratchensniff rubbed the brim of his nose. Obviously Bonkers description was too dramatic for him to process.

"Maybe, I can explain it better…" Nurse came forward. "Paint thinner is a very dangerous substance for toons. It can harm a toon a number of ways depending on the exposure. Inhaling could causing breathing problems, hallucinations, and render a toon unconscious. Actual contact could cause discoloration, sluggish movement, and lots of others to count"

"How do you know all that?" Lucky asked, astounded at her explanation.

"Im a toon nurse, Ive dealt with patients that touched the stuff by accident" Scratchenniff was always impressed at how fluent she was with delivering information. It was one of main reasons he hired her in the first place.

"I thinks I get it…" Ralph scratched his head.

"It makes toons really sick, dummy" Plotz grumbled. The guard's eyes brightened in realization.

"Oh nows I get it"

"Now the big question, why would they have this down here?" Bonkers wondered. For once, he said something that made sense. Scratchensniff knew the mice had worked with all sorts of dangerous chemicals and substances. But this was very odd. Paint thinner wasn't allowed on studio grounds unless a rare exception was approved by Mr. Plotz. So the next question came as no surprise.

"Plotz when was the last time paint thinner was allowed inside?" Lucky asked

"Over one year ago. We had a really massive oil paint spill that needed to be cleaned up." Plotz explained.

"Yeah, It almost as bad even den that time Brain made dat giant robot…" Ralph blurted out before Plotz clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Robot? What robot?" the detectives spoke in unison.

"Big toy robot is what I think he means" Plotz hastily cut in. The guard removed his hand.

"But boss, weren't you upset when they accidently destroyed a studio building with it?" Ralph cut in before his mouth was covered up again.

"What's he talking about?" Lucky asked.

"Pinky and the Brain offered to build a robot dragon for one of the Warners movies a while back, it went haywire and flopped right on top of the set for "The Adventures of Pluto Nash" Nurse explained.

"Eww! I'd say they almost did you a favor" Bonkers cringed. Lucky did not look happy about this.

"Has this kind of stuff happened more than once?" he asked sternly.

Ralph nodded his head. "Ah sure, one times they made a model rocket that almost that destroyed the parking lot, then there was da time they flooded the water tower while the da Warnvers went on vacation, all part of some big plan to uh take over da-Gggh!" his cheeks bulged from the cheese wheel Plotz rammed in his mouth.

Both Scratchensniff and Nurse facepalmed at what he told them. Of all the things Ralph had to mention, the mice's failed experiments were the last thing they would have picked. The guard had unintentionally made them appear guilty.

"Mr Plotz, is all this true?" Lucky asked. Scartchensniff came forward but Plotz held him back. Was anybody going to let him speak for once?

"Yes, but they were all simply accidents. Nothing more, nothing less." Plotz answered calmly with clenched fists. This was good as it was going to get when it came to Plotz keeping his cool. The detective didn't seem to hear him as he currently fixated on the burnt can.

"Wait a minute… Bonkers you still have that picture? "

Of course!" Bonkers responded. He took out a red photo album book and opened it. Right next to a picture of Lucky downing an ice cream sundae was the photo in question. A scorched container recovered from the plane crash. "Same size, same shape, same label… It's the same thing!"

"Everyone! Empty out all the draws and pantries you can find." Lucky commanded.

The others did as told, and within a few minutes a pile of various items littered the counter, broken pens, a few old papers, and several receipts. Lucky sorted through the items, an excited grin on his face. The first real one he had all day.

"This is perfect, we finally have some light shed on this situation" said Bonkers.

"Gah! I's can't see anyting!" Ralph exclaimed. An empty drawer was stuck on his head. It was broken apart by a swift bonk from Plotz. "Oh nows I see it"

Both detectives pushed the other items aside and busily sorted through the receipts. Lucky arranged the receipts into separate piles while Bonkers somehow managed to hang them up in midair. Out of the 50 receipts they found, at least 30 of them were from the Slim Scrapyard Co alone. Items purchased included; gasoline, masks, old car parts, plane parts, glass panes, engines, and of course paint thinner. Unfortunantely, many of these receipts were smudged or badly singed in the fire. Crucial items such as dates, prices, and location were missing. However about 10 of them retained one interesting feature, the merchant on each of the receipts, was of the owner himself.

"Alameda Slim." Lucky said aloud.

"Who's Alameda Slim?" asked Plotz.

"A Disney villain from the movie 'Home on the Range', former cattle rustler turned to business entrepreneur. He's the owner of Slim Scrapyard Co. He's also been arrested for tax evasion and robbery." his expression soured. "_Real_ nice guy"

"And a good yodeler to boot!" Bonkers cut in. "Yodel lah hee…" Lucky clamped his mouth shut. His cheeks bulged for air.

"Quiet! Of course, he has a big store up in Los Angeles, we could drop by and..."

"But Lucky, I thought he went out of business ages ago...!"Bonkers lips strained breathlessly. When Lucky let go, he fluttered around the room like a deflated balloon.

" Oh that's right. He did. Darkwing Duck busted him for trying to sell stolen merchandise last year. So going out there is out of the question" Lucky responded dejectedly.

"What about here? Look at this!" Nurse said aloud as she picked up a colorful flyer. On it was an unknown rabbit tossing playing cards and poker chips.

"Ms Nurse this is no time for partying!" Plotz interjected.

"No, look! Local Poker club featuring Poker champion _Alameda Slim_, March 18. At the Moonrise Comic Strip!" Lucky's eyes widened as he took the flyer from her.

"That's tonight! Bonkers you know what this means?" he said.

"That were totally behind on today's social events?" Bonkers retorted. Lucky shot a glare at him.

"It means we have a new lead now! We can ask this guy a few well deserved questions" he responded excitedly. Bonkers jumped for joy just as he grabbed the flyer from Lucky and rolled it up.

"Well what are we waiting for?! Let's go!" His feet disappeared in locomotive blur. Despite the damp floor, a trail of dust appeared as Bonkers zipped back upstairs. Plotz and Ralph followed after him. Scratchensniff did likewise. When he came back outside, Bonkers was nowhere in sight. Plotz and Ralph however, were just a few feet away from him.

"Did I do good boss?" Ralph eagerly tapped his boss'es shoudler. Plotz tunred around,his instense glare answered his question.

"Oh, sure you did..." his voice dripped with sarcasm. "Maybe later on today youll tell them their linked to the Taliban!" he growled before storming off. Ralph's smile guiltily dissipated. He truged his feet along the ground. Normally Plotz insults would have flown right over his head. This time however, the harsh words seemed to stick.

_Well, you tried to help Ralph. That's all that matters_

He remembered Nurse's suggestion to talk to him. As much as dunderhead Ralph was, he always liked to help any way he could. He followed after him.

"Ralph?" Sratchensniff said, the guard turned around.

"Yeah?"

"Is der something wrong?" Ralph simply looked him before turning his back to him.

"Nos" he replied bluntly.

"I just vanted to know if dere ver problems..."

"What problems, I ain't got nos ploblems. Duh, what is a problem anyways?" Ralph replied irritably. Scratchensniff noticed the forced stiffness of his tone.

_Was Ralph actually playing dumb for once?_

"Vell if you ever need help, I'm here to talk..." Ralph whipped his head back. His eyebrows lowered.

"I don't need yours help!" His stern look quickly shut Scratchensniff up as he lumbered away. This was really odd. Ralph never talked to him like that before. Lucky came up behind Scratchensniff a moment later.

"Hey is he alright?" he asked, jutting a thumb at Ralph.

"Oh he's fine" Scratchensniff answered dismissively. A serious as it was, Ralph's issue would have to be saved for later.

"Scratchensniff, you seem to know Pinky and Brain well, what was their relation to the Warners?" Scratchensniff nearly sputtered at his question. After not being able to get a word in edgewise earlier, having the spotlight put on him caught him off guard.

"Oh? Oh they vere very close friends. Those two mice were always supportive of da Warners. No ill vill towards them"

"Uh-huh"

"Vhy do you ask?" Although he already good idea why.

"Gut feeling. Just trying to figure a possible motive on why those mice might have did it.

"_If_ they did it" Scratchensniff corrected. Lucky arched an eyebrow, clearly he didn't appreciate that comment. Scratchensniff was suprised he even said it aloud. "I mean it could be an accident" he added nervously.

"Scratchensniff, look at the evidence. A conveinetaly hidden secret lab, a history of public endangerment, Possession of an illegal substance. And it's the same kind used on the plane, one that they biult?" This is too bad to be a coincidence."

"You sure this isn't a mistake? It could have been a frame job…" Lucky's gut bumped into him, cutting him off.

"Listen pal, The only mistake making is always assuming that your pals are as innocent as they say they are…."

"But vhat if dey are innocent? Then what?" Scratchensniff countered harshly.

"They might be, they might not. We'll have to keep looking to find out" Lucky sighed as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Look, I get how you're feeling, but me and my pal have been doing this stuff for a long time and well… We don't expect to understand this kind of stuff anyway" Scratchensniff couldn't help but be irritated at his comment. He had _no_ idea how he felt...

"Lucky!" a high pitched voice whined. Bonkers ran towards them as he frantically rustled the pockets of his uniform. "You've seen my badge?! I can't go around town looking like a lowdown cop impersonator! It would be..!"

"Here" Lucky reached behind the shorter toons shirt collar and pulled it out. The bobcat snatched it from his hands and embraced it in his arms. " If your ever going to improve as a detective you gotta keep better track of your stuff…" Nurse came forward with his black notepad in her hand.

"Do you need this? You left it in the lab downstairs" said Nurse. Lucky gaped in befuddlement as he cautiously took the pad from her. Clearly he hadn't realized he'd forgotten it. Bonkers stared up at his senior partner with a sly grin.

"Oh uh, thanks… I'll go, bring out the car" he muttered before trotting off. His cheeks flashed bright pink. Nurse gave a coy smile at Scratchensniff before walking off. Bonkers looked up at him.

"Don't mind Lucky, he's just a little rough around the edges. Like burnt toast. But he'll warm to you in time." He pulled out something from his hammerspace. "Here, this fell out your bag" his voice lowered a few notches. It was the framed picture Scratchensniff kept in his bag. It was slighty cracked.

It was a picture of him and the Warners huddled together underneath a parachute, thousands of feet above Montego Bay. The Warners had somehow managed to convince to do skydiving. Despite the fact that he was scared of heights and that they landed in the water, during shark breeding season, it was first time the Warners talked him into doing something crazy... and he actually enjoyed it.

"Thank you" Scratchensniff replied.

Bonkers put a hand on his chest. He stared up at him with a warm smile "Dont worry._ I_ don't think they did it. I promise, well find them, and the Warners too" Scratchensniff didn't know what to say. After all the mindless zaniness from earlier, compassion was the last thing he was expecting from him. Then again, he thought the same thing about the Warners. He put the picture back into his bag.

"Oh and sorry earlier this morning, you know us toons cant help but make a lasting first impression" A car horn honked. " Oop! There's the car!" his cherry persona returned as his sped off towards an approching car.

_You have a very "intersting" idea of first impressions..._

"No, no no!" Plotz's yelling took him out his thoughts. "No way I am getting in that grease bucket on wheels!" Scratchensniff saw why he was upset. In front of him was a grungy looking police cruiser that had obviously seen better days. The car's white paint had faded to a light gray. The red and blue lights on the hood were scuffed and chipped.

"Trust me sir, it's just for today." Lucky pleaded.

"Especially since I got the seats reupholstered" Bonkers added, patting the backseat. Three loose springs came up instantly.

"We've already got cars, why do we need to ride in _yours_?" Plotz asked.

"Um, cause you'll be able to save on gas money if you do?" Bonkers gave his best innocent smile.

"Good point..." Plotz pondered for a moment. "But you won't be able to fit all of us inside!"

"No problem!' Bonkers rolled up his sleeves and rubbed at his elbows. Scratchensniff flinched as Bonkers jumped on him in a frantic mess of moving hands. They felt clammy and moist. Bonkers did likewise for the Plotz, Ralph, and Nurse. All four of them had a bright sheen on their bodies.

"What the hell did you do to us?!" Plotz angrily rubbed at his sleeves. Bonkers was out of his uniform and in a typical black chimney sweeper outfit, complete with a long broom in his hand.

"Just added a'little elbow grease" he cheerfully responded in a Cockney accent. He wielded the broom and forcefully pushed all four of them with it in the back seat. Ralph took up the most space, his head bumping against the roof. Scratchensniff's face was squished against the window. He couldn't tell if the arm below him was his own or one of the others. This was just like when the Warners played Twister inside his car. Except no one was trying to win.

"Ow! Ralph get your foot out of my face!" Plotz yelled.

"Whoevers hand is on my chest, can you let go please?" Nurse called out.

" I founds the seatbelt!"said Ralph.

Scratchensniff felt a painful tug on his leg. "Agh! That's me you dummy!"

Bonkers reappeared in the drivers seat in his regular uniform. "Everyone comfortable?" he asked in his normal voice.

"No!" all four groaned.

"_Veeery_ well then! Off to the Moonrise Comic Strip!" he cheered. Lucky quickly climbed into the seat next to him.

"Bonkers I think you should let me drive...!" he yelled as Bonkers slammed on the gas pedal. The car made a number of wide twist and turns before it peeled out of the studio.

As Scratchensniff's pressed head stared out the window, he tried to summarize everything that happened today. He found out the Warners were still alive, he'd volunteered to become part of an investigation, Pinky and the Brain were suspects, they had a secret lab and paint thinner, he met two bumbling detectives; one who thinks they did it, the other says they didn't; Ralph has some issues, and now he was packed with his co-workers inside a dingy police cruiser, on their way to meet a buisnessman/criminal for questions. He gupled.

_And yet, this is nowhere near as chaotic as a day with the Warners._


	5. Chapter 4: Interlude

Chapter 4: Interlude/ A Message from Inside

Somewhere around the same time…

The three siblings hunched down in silence as the door's tiny window darkened from an unknown passerby. They silently waited in the dark. Several seconds passed.

"Is he gone?" Wakko whispered.

"Yep, hes gone" Dot looked out the window.

"Let's move sibs" Yakko said as he plopped into an old chair.

He felt like broken record. This exchange happened the last time they tried to escape, and one before that, and the one before that. Today was different. Their destination this time was not a way out. It was to an abandoned office room Yakko had caught a few glimpses of a while back . After snatching the keys off their watchman, they somehow managed to sneak out of their cell undetected. With the dimly lit hallways looking the same, aside from a rare picture or two, it was hard to keep track of where they were going. Luckily after a few minutes, Yakko spotted it solely from its noticeable landmark, an outdated Coke vending machine.

After the trio went inside and locked the door, they found the item they were looking for, an old computer.

"Hows it looking down there Wakko?" Yakko looked down at Wakko fiddling with wires underneath the desk.

"Almost done… Try it now." his brother replied. Yakko pressed a button on the cpu. A soft whirring sound rose from the monitor screen glowed blue.

"Yes!" Yakko cheered quietly. The eldest sibling's face quickly went sour as the computer slowly continued to start up. "Of all the abandoned computers we had to find, we just _had _to find one that still has Windows 2000" It took a good 20 minutes for the computer to start up, and for Yakko to finally log onto the internet, and bring up his email account. Once he clicked on the button for "compose" he started typing.

_"Heeeellllooo, Scratchensniff! If your not him, make sure our P-psychiatrist Dr. Scratchensniff gets this letter. This is yours truly, Yakko Warner here." _Dot's finger thwacked the back of his head.

_"Oh and Wakko and Dot are here too I guess. Your probably wondering where we are and if were all right. Well, we can answer the second part as of right now. We're all okay and fine._ _It takes more than a plane crash to take us down"_

He knew this because he had overheard what happened a few weeks ago. None of them could really remember much from that night or anything else after that. Anything before a few weeks ago was surreal mush of dreams and nightmares. The experience was irritating. He hated that he had no idea who were these people that kidnapped them. He was certain this wasn't Orlando, it felt way too cold. Plus, their aching bodies felt like they were pumped full of lead. They always felt sluggish and their red noses were constantly stopped up. If he got out of here, he was heading straight to the Nurse's office back at Warner Bros. He'd finally have a real reason to go.

_But uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh… were sort of being held against our will and have no idea how to get out. We honestly thought we could get out months ago, but our new friends suggested we should stay a little longer. All we can tell you is this. Pinky and the Brain are here with us. We don't know where, but we know they are in just as big trouble as we are. Something big is about to happen here, and doesn't sound like a wrap party either. So if you can come find us that would be great._

He continued typing, ignoring the heavy droning, probably from an air conditioner. Just for the heck of it, he also added a few requests.

_There are only three things we need, Some snacks for Wakko, he's been so hungry he's starting to eat drywall now. Says it has a nice salty flavor._

"It does!" Wakko insisted.

_Dot wants a mirror so she can get a good look at herself. Thinks looking her two handsome brothers is no longer a good substitute. But I digress._

"Handsome is an overstatement" Dot snapped.

_And if you can, bring Michael Phiffer_

"Yakko! Hurry up!" Dot and Wakko chattered impatiently. He had to finish soon. They knew they probably didn't have much time left.

_All jokes aside, Scratchy, if you're reading this, find us. Do everything you can. We don't care if you have to bore someone to death with your lectures in order to do it. We haven't given up you. Don't you dare give up on us._

_Sincerely, Yakko._

_P.S Seriously, get Michelle Pfeiffer_

"It's done" Yakko stared at the screen. If only his brain wasn't so frazzled, he could have written a much better letter. He typed in the only two emails he knew by heart, and even then he wasn't sure if they right ones. Even though he knew Scratchensniff barely checked his email, he had to try anyway. This was probably his only chance to reach out to anyone. "Great job sibs, now for our other plans..."

"That's it! I'm proofreading that letter!" Dot ran towards the computer. Her brother blocked her.

"Why do you always get to proofread?" Wakko complained. "I want to do it!"

"Because I have a better vocabulary"

"But I'm straight to the point!"

Yakko ignored there chatter as he moved his mouse to click on 'send'. He rose a finger….

"Yakko!" Dot shrieked. Yakko looked up.

"Wha…?" He saw nothing but a blur of black whooshing upon him. By instinct, he dashed to the floor. A sickening crunch blasted his eardrums. Sparks and metal pieces stung his face a moment afterwards. His heart still beating, he looked up. From small sliver light coming from the door window, he could make out what just happened. A sledgehammer laid down where the computer once stood. The desk it sat upon had been smashed in two. Just above it was a large pair of eyes staring down on him. He hadn't realized his hand was still tightly gripped to the mouse. Yakko knew who it was, the watchman.

"Hey! Haven't seen you in a few days…where ya been?" he responded as cheerfully as he were an old friend.

"None of your business…haven't seen you inside your cell. Where _you_ been?" a deep voice responded. Its breath reeked of fresh paint. He threw up his hands.

"Alright, you caught me! I've been on those dirty websites. I'm just pathetic poon hound. But can you blame me? I haven't seen woman in who knows how long! So por…"

"Guk!" the pained grunt of his siblings shut him up. They were pinned down on the floor by the watchman's large foot. If only he was feeling well he'd teach this guy a lesson.

"Let them go" His face hardened.

"Not yet… we need you three again." The figure responded coldly.

"Wait, whose we?" Yakko asked. The watchman said nothing for a moment. Yakko didn't understand how he got in here. This guy was huge, Dot surely would have seen him coming, long before he reached the door. And they locked it. Then he realized the droning sound from earlier had stopped. After putting it all together, he felt like an idiot. He was in here the whole time. He heard a low chuckle.

"You know, if you guys were so smart… You would have swiped this instead" the watchman held up mask and snapped it on. The orange lens seemed to glow in the dark.

With a flick of a wrist he flipped open the cap of a nearby jug. A foul stinging smell flooded the entire room. Yakko covered his nose and started coughing, the other siblings did the same.

"I'll put it on my check list…" Yakko dizzily hung his head. He wondered if he even got to press send on his email. Whether he did or not, it no longer mattered. They got caught, and now they had no way to contact anybody. As his thoughts sizzled away, a single thought meandered.

_Please Scratchy, find us. Please…_

Then he blacked out.

**Hate to leave y'all in suspense like that, But I promise to update as soon as** **possible!**


	6. Chapter 5: Ditchin the Detectives

**A/N Hello Everyone I'm back again! If you're already tired of this authors note, skip down to the actual chapter!**

**Oh God, I really need to stop making promises I have trouble keeping. But as usual, real life has gotten in the way over the past few months. Between switching jobs and dealing with writers block again, I haven't had time to deal with the story. Sorry to have kept you waiting so long. As a bonus, I noticed a couple of embarassing errors in the previous chapters and went ahead and fixed them. So get comfortable and enjoy this new chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Ditchin' the Detectives/ Small Reunions

5:00 PM

The claustrophobia and numbness in his legs had already settled in. Scratchensniff was very unsure if Bonkers was still going the right way. The growing number of passing tress confirmed they'd left downtown Burbank. He'd lost track at how long he'd been crammed inside this car. It had gotten near pitch black outside, despite the fact that sundown wasn't due for another hour or two.

_I was sure __daylight savings wasn't due for a few months._

Then slowly, the streets relit with the faint glow from various marquees and signs. It was hard to make out anything else due to the car's grime covered windows. Was this Hollywood? Why was Bonkers taking a detour through here? One thing was certain, he would die if he stayed in this car any longer. He wasn't sure what would happen first, being crushed to death by Ralph's massive guild, unintentionally suffocated in Nurse's chest…

"We've been in this car for hours! Are we there yet?!" or being obliterated by Plotz burning short fuse. His boss hated clowns, riding like one was not something he wanted to experience.

"Bonkers you sure were going the right way?" Lucky asked. His hands jittered against the car's lumpy upholstery. The bobcat lazily turned the steering wheel with his floppy feet.

"Sure I am Lucky, navigations my sixth sense! We're almost there!" Bonkers replied. His eye darted back and forth between the front window and a fold out map on his seat.

Lucky glanced at the map, his eye twitched. "Your sixth sense needs tuning… you're reading the map upside down" Bonkers ears drooped as he flipped the map over.

"Oops, turns out it was just around the corner" he blushed. Then Plotz's faced burned bright red.

"If you don't get me out of this damn car in 5 seconds, I'm gonna…! He growled just as the car skidded to a stop.

"We're here! Everybody out!" the keys disappeared from his hand.

"Next time, I'm driving" Lucky grumbled, putting the keys in his pants pocket.

Plotz was the first one out. Nurse, then Ralph followed suit. Scratchensniff was last. He nearly kissed the ground as he ungracefully flopped out of the car, dragging his dead leg with both arms. Scratchy realized they were standing in the middle of the street. Bikers and tiny cars slowly trudged around them. He arched his head back, taking everything he saw through his thick lenses.

Scratchy had known about this place for years, but he never got around to actually going here. The Warners had mentioned it occasionally from time to time. According to them this was Burbank's best kept secret. He was surprised to see hundreds of toons, many he didn't recognize, freely roaming the streets. While it wasn't strange to see toons in Burbank , it was never this much. Loud and bizzare characters, bright lights and colors. It was like Times Square, if it was designed by Bob Clampett and Tex Avery. High-rises bent at sharp angles as they rose towards the sky. One orange one down the street went up and bent across the street in an impossible L shape. Then he noticed the sky, wasn't really a sky at all. Squinting his eyes, he could faintly make out the stalactites glowing like brown stars in the darkness above. They were underground. The awestruck turned to nervousness when he realized those could possibly fall down and hit someone. A screech of a microphone interrupted his attention.

"Is this on?" Bonkers tapped a mike in his hand. " Okay! Welcome to our first stop! The Moonrise Comic Strip, home of several shops, diners, and venues, courtesy of us toons…! And a cute little Bugs Bunny Plushie for $12.99…" Lucky snatched the microphone from his hands.

"Focus Bonkers, were here on an investigation not a vacation tour." the big detective grumbled.

"Aww…" Ralph groaned as he hid a camera back in his pocket. Scratchensniff noticed the sign from the lab was rolled up in Bonkers hand.

"May I see that?" Nurse bent down.

"Anything for you." Bonkers swooned. His ears curled into a shape of a heart. She gently took it from him and opened it. She frowned.

"But, I don't understand. There's no specific address here." she uttered. Scratchy, Plotz, and Ralph huddled around her. Why didn't they notice this earlier? She was right, they were in right area Moonrise Comic Strip just as promised, But after that, nothing. No street name, zip code, nothing. And this place was very big.

"But, how will we know where to find him? " Scratchensniff pondered.

"Oh he could be anywhere in this nutzo town!" Plotz swatted the poster to the ground.

"Aw come on, this place is only 2 miles long…" Bonkers dismissed.

"And two miles high!" The CEO countered, overestimating the height of the rocky ceiling. "I thought you guys knew what you were doing!" Lucky, whose forehead was starting to sweat, began to open his mouth but Bonkers intervened.

"Of course, we know! I know this place like the back of my head…" his head did a complete 180 degree twist to prove his point. " I know for a fact; there are 50 bars in this place, only 30 of them allow poker games, 15 of them allow alcohol , something our guy loves…

"Fast forward to the point Bonkers" Lucky groaned.

"But, there are only two places that hold poker game _championships_, and that's where well find Slim!"

"So which one are we checking out first?" Plotz barked. Scratchensniff could tell by his scowl that he wasn't satisfied with that answer.

"Wait, first things first guys" Lucky came forward. He leaned against the trunk of the car. "We gotta stay together. Pickpockets and small time criminals run rampant here. You can never have your back turned"

"That's right, if you careful enough you won't get robbed by that masked fox who just swiped Lucky's car keys" Bonkers stated matter of factly.

"Say what?" The portly cop's eyes widened. The car's engine revved to life. He fell over in gray cloud of exhaust smoke. When everything cleared up, the car was gone and the befuddled cop looked down and saw his pants were gone.

Scratchensniff grimaced at seeing him in his shorts. The slideshow image was bad enough, he didn't a repeat showing.

"What the- aw nuts! Come back with my car you fox!" Lucky huffed as he pursued after his car. Scratchy had to admit, for a big guy, he was pretty fast.

"I'll go get em. You guys stay together" Bonkers stated as he ran off after him. "_Stay out of trouble while were gone!_" he chided in a sing songy voice. He zipped around a corner further up the street.

The rest of the group stood completely speechless. Scratchensniff's mouth opened in astonishment. This was just perfect. The four of them were officially stranded in strange town, no way to get back, and still unsure of what to do next. Worse, they were never told what club to go to first.

"Did, did we just get ditched?" Nurse asked.

" No, no. Zey are just…taking care of something important really quick." Scratchensniff reassured. " Which is…"

"Which is ditching us!" Plotz added sharply. "Stay out of trouble while were gone!" he mocked the bobcats voice. " What does he think we are, children?!" he glanced behind him to see Ralph mistakenly licking a toon shaped as a large lollipop. The guard gave a sheepish grin when the toon glared at him before walking off.

The CEO muttered to himself as he headed towards a biulding right in front of them. Rising at least five stories, it was all white except for the black window frames at each floor. Its sleek design reminded Scratchy of those Deco inspired biuldings he saw in those old movies from the 30's. Above the sliding glass door entrance, a red neon sign hung above titled, the "Ink and Paint club"

"Vere are you going?" Scratchensniff asked.

"Since they're gone, I'm taking charge of this search. And I say_, I_ should check out this place first." Plotz replied.

"But, Lucky said we should stay together..."

"By _we_, he meant _you three_, this is just for _me_." Plotz jutted a thumb at himself. "Besides, if this Slim guy is really some big shot; I suspect he'd be in here.

But sir, I don't think…" Scratchensniff clammed up at Plotz's intense scowl. It didn't matter if he thought Plotz's idea wasn't good. Once his boss made up his mind, there was no arguments.

"I didn't ask you to _think_! I asked you to _stay_! Don't do _any_ investigating until those guys come back". He peered over Scratchy's shoulder. "That goes double for you too!" Nurse and Ralph said nothing. The guard obedientely nodded his head while Nurse crossed her arms. They knew when Plotz wanted something done, they better do it. His boss turned back around and headed inside, leaving the three of them remaining.

"So when he said we, he really meant me?" Ralph pondered.

"No he meant himself" Scratchensniff sighed.

"But isn't me you?"

"No you is me!

"I is you?"Ralph stared at him as if _he_ was the stupid one. He rubbed the brim of his eyebrows. This was going to be a long wait.

"Its just an expression! He just vants us to stay here til he comes back"

"Then where is she going?" Ralph pointed to a biudling behind them. Scratchensniff turned around. It was a short brick and redwood made pub. The rustic architecture reminded Scratchensniff of his family gatherings back in Munich. A simple wooden sign hung in the above the double doors; it was titled "Schitzelhaus". Inside were two clanking white heels disappearing behind the double doors. He stifled a scream as he held his head.

"Oh no, no no! Come on Ralph, we have to go get...!" He looked behind him. The dimwitted guard wasn't there.

"No, No! Not you too!" He rubbed his eyebrows. Why did it feel like no one was listening to him today? He was alone now. He fretted on what he should do. Stay here like Plotz said, and get possibly get pickpocketed? Go find Nurse? Or go find Ralph? None of these choices seemed good. But he still had to make one.

XXXX

The walk inside the club was promising. After being directed to the elevator by the receptionist, Plotz went up 3 floors. The doors opened in the center of a long white hallway. In front of him was a framed painting of Jessica Rabbit and Roger Rabbit. At the far end, the hallway bent around a corner. An arrow shaped sign on the wall read " Main Lounge". The other end led out to an open balcony. It was peacefully quiet. Then he heard clattering footsteps coming from a stairway next to him. He was face to face to a belly button poking out between the seams of a blue shirt. He looked up.

"What the…?! Ralph? What are you doing here? I told you guys to stay outside!"

" I knows…" the guard breathed heavily.

"If you knows… then do it!" Plotz pushed him in the gut, his shoes sliding against the velvet carpet. Ralph however, did not budge.

"But boss... I is your bodyguard, ain't I spose to protect you?" Plotz paused for a moment. After what happened earlier today, the last thing he wanted to do was deal with him. If he was going to find answers, Ralph's sloppy appearance and loose lips wouldn't help him a bit. But still, for tonight he _was_ his bodygaurd.

"You know, your right…" he answered softly.

"Den lets go then!" Ralph beamed as he began to jog down the hallway. Plotz grabbed him by the seat of his pants.

"Hold your horses, I can't still can't have you coming inside!" The tubby guard's smile dissipated.

"Why not? Don't we got to 'intergrate' for that Slim guy?" Plotz faked a smile as he patted Ralph's shoulder.

"Of course we are, which is why I want _you_ to stand guard out here, while I check this place out."

"Is don't get it." Plotz facepalmed in frustration.

"Just, Give me some space"

"Why?" Plotz paused for a moment. Ralph was usually never this persistant

" Well, Because... Because if someone is after me, you being right by my side will attract too much attention" It was a dumb excuse, but he knew Ralph was dumb enough to buy it. The bald guard scratched his head.

"Gee I never thought about that."

"So what's new? And if something does happen, you can coming running in for the rescue"

"Well what does you want me to do?

Just, Back up a bit" Ralph took a few steps away from him. "Further" A few more steps. "Further" Ralph was half down the hallway. "A little more…" Ralph took several more steps, not realizing the balcony was right behind him. He stepped right over the edge.

"How's thiissss….?!" Ralph vanished to the ground below, his blue hat followed a second later.

Perfect!" Plotz clapped his hands together.

_Persistent, but pea brained as usual._

Plotz almost felt bad about doing that, then he remembered Ralph had fallen from the WB tower several times without a scratch. This floor was half the towers height. He was fine

XXXX

"Pretty birds, pretty birds…" The open balcony of third floor danced in circles several feet above him. Several yellow Tweety birds fluttered as his vision returned to normal.

"Gee mister, are you okay?" Tweety asked. Ralph nodded. He sat up as the bird flew away. Then he remembered what he was supposed to do.

_I gotta watch Plotz!_

He wondered how was he going to do that. He'd given him space like he asked. But there was no way he could know if he was okay out here. He had to go back inside. Within moments he was back on his feet and heading inside. Once again he took the stairs, as the reception demanded that he was over the elevator's wieght limit. In a few minutes he was was back on the third floor. He sprinted to the entrance of the main lounge. He hoped Plotz hadn't gone inside yet.

"Ulp!"The collar of shirt tightened as something pulled him back. Two musclebound arms wrapped around his neck in a headlock. Ralph struggled to free himself as he noticed this person's hairy hands, they looked very familiar.

"No one gets in here without an invitation mac!" That voice. He hadn't heard it in a while."Get out here yous…"

"Paul? Is that yous?" Ralph croaked. The bouncer's grip loosened.

"Ralph?" The bouncer let out a hearty laughter as he let go "How are ya bro!" The two brothers embraced each other in a hug. Paul was what Ralph would have looked like if he was a year older and weighed over a hundred pounds less. The lack of fat in his body was overcompesated by his enormous amount of muscle.

"I didn't know you worked here. This, this is a nice place"

"Nah, this aint nothing compared to what you do," He playfully pounded his arm." …Mr. movie star." Ralph couldn't help but feel stung from that. Paul, along with the rest family had always been proud of his security job at Warner Bros. And now he was going to lose it. He hoped Paul didn't know anything about what was happening with the studio. He would been crushed. His brother sighed. "Dad would have been proud"

"Oh yeah, he would have..." Ralph's voice lowered a bit. He didn't want to talk about any personal stuff now. He had a job to do.

"So what are you doing out here?" Paul asked. Ralph's face brightened, happy he changed the subject.

"I gotta protect my boss Mr Plotz, I is his bodyguard"

"Wait, you mean that short tubby guy who just came in a few minutes ago? How he didn't have you by his side?"

"Ah, he doesn't me too close or else I might attract attettion. But Is don't get it though, how can I bodyguard somebody, if I can't see nobody?" His older brother scratched his tiny tuft of black hair on his head. Paul was always the thinker in the family.

"Well… there's always a stakeout"

"But Paul, you knows I ain't good at cooking steaks"

"No bro, I'm talking bout camouflage, blending in with your surroundings"

Huh?" Ralph still didn't understand.

"It's like a game of hide and seek. Just hide well enough so Plotz can't see you. That way _you_ can keep an eye on _him_, but he won't keep an eye on _you_. He gave a sly wink to Ralph. Ralph's eyes brightened before he winked back. This was perfect, why hadn't he thought of this before?

"Oh boy, my very first stakeout!" Ralph giddily jumped in the air. Paul's hairy hand on his shoulder grounded him.

"Wait Ralph, If you're gonna blend in, Youre going to need this." His brother took off his black tuxedo jacket and handed it to him. Ralph slipped it on over his blue shirt. It was a perfect fit.

"'Gee, thanks Paul" Ralph beamed. As much as he liked to help others, being helped himself felt good for a change.

"No prob Ralph, that's what brothers do" he glanced at his wrist. "Wish I could come with, but my shift's over, it's been good seeing you bro." he waved goodbye and disappeared around the hall way.

Ralph stared inside the club from the entrance. Luckily it was dark, hiding was always easier in the dark. All the waiters were penguins in the same black tuxedo he had. He gulped; this would be the first time he did something against Plotz's words. But Ralph desperately wanted to make up after what happened earlier today. Only thing he managed to was make his boss angry and two mice prime suspects. It seemed simple; all he had to do was watch Plotz, let him talk to Slim to see if he knows where the Warners are. Then be out of there before Plotz could notice. That wasn't hard, right? With a deep breath, he crouched down and went inside.

XXXX

"Do you happen to know where Slim might be?" Nurse asked someone. The toon in question was a wolf who clearly had too much to drink.

"Sure, I knows,_hic_, know where he is. Hes in my heart, juuust like you…" he flopped to the floor snoring. Nurse shook her head at the display and walked off.

Maybe I picked the wrong place" she began to wonder as atomsphere in this crowded pub was making her uncomfortable. The mixture of fresh cooked schitzel and cigar smoke was creating a very foul combination. Despite the fact that this pub was two wide stories high, with a bar at every wall, there was hardly a place to sit. And she wasn't exactly a fan of the oompah music. It didn't help that dardly anyone she talked to was helpful. They were either too drunk on beer to to string a coherent senctence, or to smitten at her appearance to pay attention to her request.

She hated to leave Scratchensniif and Ralph out in the street, but she felt that waiting for Plotz to tell them what to do would get them nowhere. This mystery was too important to spend around doing nothing. It couldn't hurt to look at who they were going to investigate. All she would do was observe from afar. And making observations was important in solving a mystery. The whole mystery had been racking inside her head for the past few hours.

_Pinky and the Brain couldn't have done it. It doesn't make sense. They were highly successful working with ACME Labs, and were in good friends with the Warners. And now both the Labs and the Warners are gone. So how would this benefit them? What motive would they have to do this? And they didn't do it, who did? Still, what were they doing with paint thinner? They how dangerous it is and how Plotz is very anal about letting it on studio grounds. What about those tire tracks? Or those visits with this Alameda Slim?_

There were so many questions that needed to be answered…

Nurse?" a sultry voice asked. She turned around. A white mink with luscious blond hair like hers, wine glass in hand, was sitting down a table behind her. She still looked excactly the same after all these years.

"Minerva!" Nurse quickly sat down in an empty seat next to her. Normally she wouldn't be this excited to talk to her. They weren't exactly friends, but Minerva was nice enough to talk to. Besides, she was so far from the studio, it was jarring to see a familiar face, especially one shed hadn't seen in a while.

"It's so good to see you" Minerva flicked a lock of hair out her face.

"It's good to see you too" Nurse replied. "I didn't see you at the meeting earlier today…" MInnerva's expression unchanged, waved off her statement with a flick of the wrist.

"Oh, yeah I heard about that. But I had several other things to take of, Tanning, planning vacations…" She took out a tiny red bottle and spray a few pink clouds on herself. "Promoting my line of 'Slink Mink…" Nurse coughed as she fanned the scent. It was said that the scent was sweet enough to draw men like ants. She didn't believe it, she though it was sweet enough to give men cavities.

"Besides I'm sure wasn't anything important"

Nurse didn't say anything, but she wanted to scoff at her response. The studio was on the verge of collapsing and she was worrying about some perfume line. Then again, this was typical of her self centered attitude. Not wanting to sour the reunion, Nurse changed the subject.

"So what are you doing here?"

"Oh nothing much, just dealing with my latest break up" She replied, not sounding upset at all. Nurse wanted to roll her eyes.

_Here we go again _

"Who was it this time?"

"Ah, Some big Texan I met last week." Minvera sipped from her glass. Alameda Slim, although he liked when I called him Slim Jim" she giggled. A spark went off in the back of Nurse's head. This couldn't have been that easy.

"You have a picture of him?" Nurse asked.

"Sure" She pulled out a cell phone and handed to her. In the picture, Minerva was pressed against Slim's bare chest as he wrapped his arms around her. Nurse almost wanted to gag. As usual, Minerva had terrible tastes in men. Slim was the complete opposite of what his name implied. He was wide with fat beefy muscles. Brown leather gloves fitted each hand. A cowboy hat rested on his firery orange mullet. A handelbar mustache paritily hid his crooked teeth. This guy was a rhinestone jacket away from being the classic Texan stereotype. She barely paid any attention to Minvera's complaints about him.

"…He was so obnoxious, I'm glad this relationship only lasted a week…"

"When did you last see him?" The mink arched an eyebrow at her.

"I don't know Nurse, I thought guys like him wern't your type"

"Don't ask. It's real important" Minvera then pulled that signature sly seductive smile that was no doubt intended for any male passerby's who wanted to 'chat'.

Oh, I see." she winked. "He was upstairs playing with the boys a few minutes ago." She pointed towards a spiraling flight of wooden stairs leading up to a balcony above them. A small crowd had gathered. "Just to let you know, he _loves_ blondes"

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks" Nurse responded. She tried her best to not cringe in disgust. Ten feet was as far as she wanted to be from him. The mink got up from the table, leaving behind her red bottle.

"Well I better get going, this oompah vibe is really getting on my nerves. I'll send you the pic later on okay?" She strutted away on her long white legs, causing a brief uproar of catcalls and wolf whistles. Nurse rolled her eyes as Minerva beamed from the attention.

Whereas Minvera reveled in the act, Nurse really wasn't into that anymore. Sure she was used to other people oogling her for her body instead of her mind. She of course, loved it in the beginning, but it was just too easy. And anything she found easy got old, _really_ fast. She put Minerva's red bottle in her pocket.

_Maybe I'll need for something later on, maybe..._

She pushed that last though out of her head. Buisness first. Nurse clamped up the planks of the spiraling stairs. Her muscles tensed as she went up each step. The lights dimmed as she climbed up to the second floor. The first thing she saw was the chattering crowd. She muscled her way in the crowd for a closer look, ignoring a few curses and wolf whistles. She reached a clearing.

Cards and towers of poker chips pilled up on a single table. 5 toons sat around it. Two toons she recognized as Walter Wolf and Sylvester, sat the closest near her. Further away were two dog toons she didn't recognize. At the far end of the table was him.

The big musclebound lump that was Slim, was hunched down in a chair that had to be much too small for him. Thankfully he was fully clothed this time. His sparkling orange jacket glittered underneath the low lying lamp. His eyes were glued to a deck of cards in his hands. Although she didn't understand poker, she could see from the sweat beading from the other players, the towers of red chips at his side, and the toothy grin his face, confirned that he was winning. He sprang in the air.

"_Yodel- hooo…!"_ the racous outburst nearly made her jump. Nurse decided to take back her Texan remark. Texans usually didn't yodel. "If that ain't a royal flush, I ain't Alameda Slim!" he slapped down his deck of cards so hard, the table shook. The crowd erupted in a choir of hoots and hollers. Nurse wondered why the mice would want anything to do with someone like him. She was tempted to leave to find the others, they would have been looking for her by now. In the meantime, she kept watching for clues. All she had to do was not bring too much attention to herself.

XXXX

Scratchensniff burst through the double doors, ignoring stares from a few customers. The familiar smells of freshly brewed beer and schnitzel were making him homesick. But the smell of cigar smoke was just making him sick. He had to find her quick. If this place was anything like the pubs in Munich, he knew they could get pretty rough at night.

"Excause me have you seen a blond woman about this high?"

"He went around asking anybody if they seen Nurse anywhere. Most of them replied with varying degress of politeness" Some were pretty generous.

"I might have seen someone like near the bar" A female mouse toon responded. Others were not so nice.

"If I did I sure as hell wouldn't let you have her!" A drunk wolf toon scoffed. But none of them proved to be helpful. Then he saw a lady sitting at one of the bars. Her back was to him but he recognized that long mane of blond hair. Estatic, He ran over to her.

"Nurse, zere you are! We have to get out of here!"

"Otto?! " the woman grabbed him by the wrist. She turned around and Scratchy froze. Plotz was the last person he would have wanted to run into tonight. This was the last person he wanted to run into _ever_. She was big and plump, had let her hair grow out, and held a half-eaten turkey leg in her other hand. Painful memories of episode "Drive Insane" came back.

"Frau Hassenfeffer?!"

So you've come crawling back to me! Oh no! No more hanky panky for you!" she wagged the turkey leg in his face. Scratchensnitff struggled to loosen her grip. Frau was his ex-girlfriend. He'd officially broken up with her after the show ended. If only he could say he did it on a good note. By broken up he really meant the Warners paid her a "special" visit without his consent, which landed her in the hospital for a few days.

"No, No not you! Im looking for my nurse!"

"What?! That blond hussy?!" Frau gapsed. She threw the turkey leg against a wall. Sweat beaded from Scratchy's head. This was not going well.

"You don't understand...!"

"So you send the Warners to bite me and have the nerve to dump me for another person right in my face?! You got some nerve Otto!"

"No, I didn't…!" he began to protest. Frau's two massive hands grabbed him and lifted him above her head. He squeaked, this was going to hurt, but at least their reunion was brief. Then she chucked him into the air. He shrieked as he sailed like a missile.

XXXX

A scream rang out to her right. Nurse turned towards it and ducked as a lean figure sailed over the balcony guardrails, and right past her head. The figure crashed onto the table, scattering cards and poker chips. The crowd jumped in an uproar of yells and swear. Slim stared down at the mess in astonishment. He flashed his teeth in a fit of rage as he grabbed the guy by his white sweater. His bald head shone underneath the lamp.

_Scratchensniiff?! Oh- no…!_

"You little cueball! What's the deal tryin to sabotage my game?!" The burly man yelled.

"Oh Im so sorry, zis was a terrible accident." Scratchensniff apologized.

"Well your about to have another one." Slim clenched a fist Nurse gasped. The other players wisely cleared away from the table. This was going to get ugly. She'd have to revoke her ten feet distance rule. She burst from the crowd.

" No wait! Stop! He's with me!"

**Hope you guys had a great Halloween and have a great Thanksgiving!**


	7. Chapter 6: Getting Aqquainted

**A/N Hey Everyone! Hope you all had a great holiday season and are enjoying the New Year. And what better way to celebrate the New Year, with a new chapter? I ended up having to split chapter because it was going too long. Sit down, enjoy, and hang in for the action later on.**

* * *

Chap 6: Getting Acquainted/ Slim's Interrogation.

XXXX

"Ouch! Sorry mam!" Ralph rubbed his head. He'd just abandoned his last hiding spot, a table where a seated couple had sat. He hated to admit, he was definitely no Tom Cruise. Searching for a stakeout spot turned out to be harder than he thought. Although he stayed close to the ground and pressed up against the walls, he left a trail of toppled plants, frames, and a few disgruntled customers in his wake. There was no place he could go without creating suspicion or avoid being seen.

At one point he spotted a serving cart. He swiftly dashed behind it and peered out from one side to look around. So far he hadn't seen Plotz yet.

"When I said on the rocks, I meant ice!" A voice yelled. He whipped head to the right. Off in a distance was Mr. Plotz berating a penguin waiter that had literally filled his glass with rocks. Ralph grinned to himself.

"Alls I gots to do is stay right here" he muttered quietly. And then another penguin waiter moved the cart. The waiter gave him a perplexed gaze as he wheeled away his hiding spot. Ralph frantically scrambled to his feet and zipped behind a gray potted palm tree. Beads of sweat trickled down his head as Plotz had yet to look towards his direction. Even Ralph knew this was a terrible hiding place. Something had to be done fast or else Plotz would notice in seconds.

_What to do? What to do? _

Something caught his eye off in a distance. It was a pair of double doors, each with a circular window.

"Bingo"

His eyes zipped back over to Plotz who was busily demanding another waiter. He was the only thing standing in between him and those doors. His heart thumped, this had to be very quick. Ralph pulled a few fronds from the tree and laid them on his head. He looked down at the disguise Paul gave him and hoped Plotz wouldn't see through it. Without a moment's hesitation, Ralph bolted.

"Waiter! Come back here…!" he heard his boss angry voice trailing behind him. Ralph refused to look back as he burst through the double doors. He looked around to see where he was. It was the kitchen. The stainless steel counter tops glistened in the dim light of the empty room. It was dim and completely empty. It was perfect.

He paused for a few seconds before he peered through one of the doors window. Plotz still looked very irritated, but luckily he wasn't coming to the door. He waved it off just before a black and white toon waitress approached him. Heart still thumping, the guard sighed in relief. He did it. Now all he had to do was sit here, watch, wait, and most importantly stay focused. His eyebrows rose.

"Hey, is that Betty Boop?"

XXXx

" …You sure he's not here?" Mr. Plotz asked the waitress.

"No sir, the only special guest tonight is the big band performing this evening." Betty Boop replied in her signature squeaky voice.

"Do you know where he might be?"

"Sorry, but if we knew, we would have him here." She handed him a glass of water "Would you like anything else sir?"

"No, thank you" Plotz responded, staring at his glass. Betty gave a small smile before she turned away.

_How on earth does a legend like her wind up in here?_

PLotz groaned as he took a sip. How could Slim not be here? This place wasn't that big. He had asked just about everybody, but all the responses were the same.

He'd only been in the Moonrise Comic Strip for a few minutes and he already hated it. This place was loud, colorful and obnoxious. However, aside from the inconsistent the customer service, the Ink and Paint Club was far more tolerable. Most of the colors were more subdued and less garish. The sensuous sound of a saxophone oozed from the small band on stage. Other customers quietly conversed among each other. After all of the insanity from earlier today, these brief minutes of solitude were refreshing.

"Plotz ? Is that you? "A guttural voice answered.

_So much for solitude_

"Who wants to know?" Plotz grumbled. His sourness dissipated when he looked up. Two new guests he hadn't seen earlier stood before his table. Before him was a human toon that had to be a couple of years younger than him. Short and stout, he was a few inches taller than Plotz. Although he was already balding, he had yet to grow a shred of grey hair in what was left of his brown hair. His blue suit looked like it was custom made to fit his pudgy physic. A shiny gold watch rested on his right arm, something Plotz found a bit too flashy but he wasn't complaining. The CEO had only seen him a few times before, but he instantly knew who it was, James Whitmore Globwobbler, the head of Globwobbler studios.

"J.W Globwobbler, I didn't expect to see you here" he quickly held out his right hand. J.W. let out a warm grin and shook his hand. Plotz took this as a good sign. Their last meeting hadn't ended on a good note. The studio head was still pretty miffed at finding out the loan hadn't been fully paid off. Tonight however, his demeanor was very lax.

"Same here, same here…" he replied. Plotz was not expecting his cheerful response. He shifted in discomfort for a moment. He never handled uninvited company well, especially company that he still owed money to.

"Oh, I hope I'm not holding you up from anything…"

"Oh not at all, in fact…" He looked up at the other guy standing next to him. The second one, also a human toon was a lot younger. He was tall and lanky. His orange hair was bright enough to match his orange suit. He barely paid any attention Plotz as his eyes were glued to an Ipad. The glow from the device reflected on the man's thick rimmed glasses. Folders and sheets hung underneath his arm. "Larry, how's my schedule?"

"Not too swamped sir" Larry replied in a bright chirpy voice. "Just a late night meeting with the staff. Why?"

"Pencil us in for one right now" he responded. Then Plotz jumped from his seat.

"Oh no Mr Globwobbler, I couldn't let you do that! If I'd known that I would have taken time to prepare…" he protested.

"Relax Plotz, were just going to have a little chat" Globwobbler helped himself to a seat across from him. Larry took another one next to him. Then his boss cleared his throat. "Uh Larry…"

Yes sir?" the other toon finally looked up.

"When I said pencil us in. I didn't mean _all_ of _us_" His boss narrowed his eyes at him.

"Sir I don't understand-"Perplexed, the orange haired toon frowned as he tapped his Ipad. After a few seconds Larry's eyes brightened. "Oh you mean…"

"Yeah, keep going…" J.W nodded his head.

"Oh, I see you want to be alone. I get it, two company but three's a crowd" Plotz simply rolled his eyes. This guy was dense. Larry's boss on the other hand gave him a thumb up.

"Bingo! As a reward, get me a drink if you can..."

"You sure? The service so far has been awful. They'll have you waiting over 30 minutes…"

"So I'll wait, do it please."

"Yes sir" he spurted. He quickly trotted off on his spindly legs, leaving his folders behind.

"New secretary" he chuckled. "Little rough around the edges, but he gets the job done.

"If you say so" Plotz scoffed. Secretaries like Larry didn't last long in his office. He was so sick of ones that didn't make eye contact or didn't try to talk back to him. Sure he wouldn't listen to them, but it was the principle damn it. And he couldn't stand how they were able to function all those new-fangled devices like the Ipad, while he still had trouble operating a telephone. J.W. opened a small box.

"Cigar?" he asked. Plotz had long since sworn off smoking, but he figured it would be rude to refuse an offer, especially one made by a person helping keep his studio afloat.

"Sure why not?" he replied. J.W took out a lighter and lit his.

"Besides…" Globwobbler blew a puff; it was a prefect O shaped ring. "Larry's better than nothing, you really can't find good help these days.

"Ain't that the truth" Plotz remarked at how true he thought that statement was. He was starting to like this guy.

The two studio heads continued to chat for a couple more minutes. Plotz mood relaxed a bit, thankful he hadn't pressed on the subject just yet. This gave him time to think up something to say in case this conversation went to that route.

"…Heard you got swamped in another press conference last week" J.W mentioned casually. He tossed him the lighter.

"Don't remind me, if it isn't the Daily Dews it's the police, and if it isn't them it's the paparazzi! Don't know if I can take another one of these…" Plotz answered. His thumb rolled harshly against the flick the lighter as he struggled to ignite it.

"What, No TMZ?" Globwobbler chuckled at his own joke. Plotz didn't see what was so funny, but he chuckled along with him anyways. Globwobbler blew another ring of smoke another and sat in silence for a few seconds. The grim melted away.

"Plotz, all joking aside I don't want you to wear yourself out like this. It's been over what, 60 years? Maybe it's time you considered retirement." The CEO continued flicking the lighter.

"It'll be another 60 before I decide to that" Plotz spat back. Retirement was something he didn't think of often, despite the fact that he could do it at any chance he wanted to. He honestly didn't see himself doing anything other than being a CEO. The leisurely life of doing nothing by endless yacht rides and golf games really didn't appeal to him. He was a working man through and through. J.W. shrugged.

"Hey if you feel it's unnecessary, I totally understand. By the way, what are you doing here anyway?" the studio head reclined in his chair.

"I'm looking for a guy named Alameda Slim, I think he might have something to do with everything that's been happening at the studio. You seen him?" this bit of news made Globwobber straighten back up in his chair.

"I haven't, but I thought you were done with this investigation"

"I was!"

"And now you're doing it again? Don't you know how risky this is…?" his voice rose a bit.

"This is just a last minute resort" Plotz matched his rubbed his forehead. His thumb was starting to get sore.

_Here it comes…_

"Oh yeah, then what do you plan to do? Start taking more loans, ones _you _can't pay off?" Plotz nearly winced at how direct he was. "What's next? Lay off what's left of the studio crew? At the rate you guys are going, you'll be bankrupt by Christmas..!."

" I know!" Plotz pounded the table. He hated to be reminded about an ongoing problem he already knew. He looked around. A few other guests stared at him for moment before resuming with their business. "Why are you reminding me about this?" he lowered his voice.

J.W. leaned in. He took the lighter from Plotz and flicked a single flame. Plotz dangled the tip of his cigar over it.

"Cause I have an idea Plotz"

"What kind of an idea?" Plotz arched an eyebrow. He finally took a drag of the cigar.

"A temporary partnership"

Plotz keeled over, hacking clouds of smoke out of him. He remembered why he swore off this stuff.

"Sorry I…" he coughed some more. "I didn't catch that"

" Just listen…" Plotz remained silent a he gave his spill for the next few minutes. The basic plan was that the studio would form a partnership. Both studios would regain enough capital and revenue for Plotz to pay off the loan and bring him out of debt. When he finished, J.W. asked him.

"So, are you interested?" Plotz shook his head

"I don't care how good it sounds, I need to see this in paperwork"

"Im glad you mentioned that" Globwobber smiled. He opened the folder Larry left on the table. "As you can see, I'm running into a bit of trouble myself" .

He passed out a variety of different forms, Bar graphs ,pie charts, various reports. PLotz muttered as he looked down at them. J.W. had a very funny view of little trouble. All of them however told the same story. It turned out in sales, Globwobber studios was on a small but steady decline. He sort of understood why. Globwobber studios had only been around for 15 years, but most of its entertainment came from previously out of work toons from UPA and Famous Studios, an idea he personally found ridiculous. Maybe if he didn't keep hiring washed up has beens from the 50's, he wouldn't have this problem. Yet despite all of this, it was looking much better compared to Warner Bros.

"Also, there is this" Globwobber pulled two sheets from a hammer space underneath his suit jacket. He handed them to him. It was exactly what Plotz was waiting for, a contract. To him, there was something very official and finalizing when it came to contracts. A contract was worth a lot more than a man's word. It was an agreement and a promise. Plotz eyes widened as he looked it over.

To his surprise, he liked it for the most part. There were no inconsistencies or typos as far as he could see. There were no extra expenses on top of the loan he still had to pay. And most importantly, the Wanrer Bros CEO; him of course, would be able to carry out any further action. Most of Warner Bros employees would be reassigned instead of being laid off. One thing that caught his attention was that the contract would go into effect within 24 hours after signage. It assured that once the partnership was official. It would last long enough until both studios feel they are financially stable individually.

"…Since I'm a growing studio, I need more workers to help grow with me. Of course, some of them will have be re-purposed but that's business..."

Plotz was too distracted to question the validity of that statement as he looked it over a second time. This was unbelievable, here was an alternative to save the studio, and it was from J.W. of all people. Catching himself, he blinked. While he thought it was a good deal, he knew there had to be a catch.

"What are you asking in return?" Plotz asked.

"Nothing, Just your cooperation" J.W stated a matter of fact. Plotz wasn't fully pleased by that answer.

Why are you doing this?" Globwobber got up and placed a hand on his shoulder. Plotz lifted up his head and looked Globwobber in the eye. The studio head had to be at least 30 years his junior, but yet he seemed just as sharp and focused as him.

"Because, you need help. This may be _your _studio Plotz, but you can't run it by yourself." He uttered softly. "You don't have to sign it now; I understand this is heavy decision. But, just think it over before you do it. Think about where you are right now"

Doing that wasn't hard at all. In Plotz's eyes, this investigation was turning out to be a disaster. He was still very far off from finding out anything. Lucky and Bonkers looked they couldn't solve their way out of a paper bag. Nurse was proving to be more competent than them. Scratchensniff was as useless as he expected. And Ralph managed to single handedly make Pinky and the Brain the prime suspects. If hadn't done something soon, he had to wonder what he would do next, would he have to start taking more loans. Put in money from his personal savings account? The whole situation was very risky.

After thinking it over, Plotz rose from his seat. He was used to making difficult choices, and this one was no better. But he had to make one. And he knew which one to make.

"J.W Globbwobber…"

XXXX

Dazed but unhurt, Scratchensniff barely had time to get his bearing before a large hand dragged him off the ground. Suddenly he was staring into the green eyes of the angriest red haired cowboy he'd ever seen, next Yosemite Sam of course. The strong scent of alcohol made him scrunch his nose. Angry and drunk was never a good combination.

"You little cue ball! What's the deal trying to sabatoge my game?!"

"I'm so sorry, this was und accident" Scratchy pleaded in an attempt to diffuse the situation, even though he didn't really know what he had done yet.

"Well your about to have another one" A gloved fist arched back. Scratchy winced as he closed his eyes. If the throttling by his ex-girlfriend didn't hurt, this certainly would.

"Wait stop! He's with me!" He blinked at hearing Nurse's voice. She's here? Suddenly she appeared from the crowd, grabbing the attention from lustful gazers. A few catcalls and whistles spurted around her. The red haired man's eyes brightened, his curly mustache straightened out.

"Well little lady, who are you?" His voice had been smoothed of the roughness form earlier. Scratchy felt the man let go and he collapsed onto the ground. Nurse barely paid attention to the other guy as she rushed over and bent down towards him.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Scratchy rubbed his bottom.

"Better than Id thought I'd be" the psychiatrist replied. A meaty hand abruptly rushed between them.

"Yeah, yeah, the old man's fine" the large man cut in. "But please, tell me mam, where have you've been all my life?" Nurse's furrowed her brows at him.

"That's none of your business. Alameda Slim, We'd like to talk to you about something…" she began to explain before the cowboy cut her off again.

"Well I certainly have a lot to talk about myself." He took off his ten gallon hat, exposing a matted mullet. His eyes fluttered. Scratchensniff backed away from him. So _this_ was the guy they were looking for. Not surprisingly, he was just as intimidating as he thought. "See, I've been mourning the end of a beautiful relationship with a nice blond mink.

_Minerva perhaps…?_

"But I had to let her run free like a wild horse roaming the prairie" he cooed with the conviction of a rattlesnake. "And I need someone to fill that..." Scratchy quickly noticed him gently reaching for Nurse's hand, she quickly swatted it away.

"Maybe when hell freezes over, I'll reconsider" she spat back. A few scattered "oohs" from the crowd blurted around them.

Scratchensniff's fist clenched. He'd only known him for a few seconds and he already didn't like this guy attitude. It took all of his will power to douse the tiny urge inside to swing at him. He was sensible enough to not resort to physical violence. Nurse opened her mouth before he rudely cut her off again.

"Oh come on, I knows you ain't getting any action from cue ball here, no matter how much dough he makes" He turned to Scratchy. "What are you anyway?" Nurse stepped in front of him.

"That's none of your-" Slim held a hand up to her face, not taking his eye of him.

"Shut it, what are you? Lawyer, scientist, stock broker…?" Scratchensniff swallowed before answering.

"Psychiatrist" he paused a bit as he stood up. "And I think you should listen to her" Scratchensniff said with as much confidence as he could muster. Slim arched back with a hearty cackle, a brief hiccup interjected at the end.

"Lookie here, the crazy doctor wants me to back off!" he bellowed to the crowd around them. A few halfhearted chuckles gave their response. Scratchy breathed even harder as his fists clenched tighter. Although he wasn't moved by insults, the term 'crazy doctor' always made him miffed. "And what's he going to do, sit me down in his little chair and talk about my feelings?" He paused for a moment.

"Matter a fact, you do look familiar" his voice lowered, leaning into Scratchy's face. "Yeah you were the crazy doctor on that show with those missing Warners! Both of you!" he howled with excitement. Scratchy's muscles tensed. So this guy _did_ know who the Warners were. Was this guy the kidnapper they were looking for? "Say, what were their names again? Yakky, Wacky, and Dottie?"

"Yakko, Wakko, and Dot. Never Dottie" Scratchensniff answered with clenched teeth. Slim turned back towards Nurse.

"Yeah, Yeah… And them boys had a name for you. What was it?"

"It was Nurse" she barked defiantly. Scratchensniff knew what it really was, and he knew she hated that nickname.

"Nope, Nope, I think it was something more specific" Slim rested a pondering finger under his flabby chin.

"Just Nurse!" Scratchensiff could feel himself burning on the inside. This guy was really testing his patience. If he wasn't the kidnapper, then he was perfect candidate for one of the Warners "special friends". In fact, he could hear one of their quotes at that moment.

_Nowadays we often give our special friends a three strike warning, just to be civil.._. Yakko would say

_But once their strikes are up"_ Dot would cut in. Wakko would swing his mallet in the air like a baseball bat.

_They're Out!_ He'd say.

Back to the present, this Slim guy had already insulted him and disrespected his working partner.

_Two Strikes…_

"…Its Nurse!" She said once again. The brown hat slipped out of Slim's fingers and fell down to the floor.

"I'm sorry, I dropped my hat. Think you could get it for me?" he asked. Still annoyed and unsure, she bent down to pick it up. "Oh I remember now! Hellooo Nurse!" And then he planted sharp slap on her butt. Nurse cried out.

_And theres the third…_

Not a moment later, Scratchensniff's left fist kissed Alameda Slim's face, right near his eye. The hulking cowboy's body flew three feet away and collided into a wooden support beam. Slim's eyes warbled while birds literally flew around his head. Scratchy bent over as he massaged his aching fist. He hadn't meant to hit him that hard. He looked at Nurse who had the same wide eyed expression. Around them, the crowd erupted in a cacophony of catcalls and cheers.

"Got em with his own trophy too!" one called out.

_Trophy? _

He looked down at his still clenched fist and saw he was holding a thick golden handle. At one end was a golden sphere. The other end was a black block used a trophy stand. The label read Poker Championship. A drop of blood was at one corner. At least knew what event he'd interrupted now. He dropped the trophy and looked back at Slim. The musclebound lummox was massaging his jaw. He spat out a tooth.

"Son of a bitch…" he muttered. As he got up, his face shone a bright shade of red. HE reached underneath his rhinestone jacket. A holster was on his belt. This was not good "I oughta blast both of ya with…"

"With what? A familiar voice cut in. Scratchensniff turned around, surprisingly relived to see who it belonged to. Lucky Piquel was standing behind him, a gun drawn. His pants were back on, which told him they did catch up with the carjacker from earlier. His partner next to him had done likewise.

"Freeze like an ice cube Slim!" Bonkers commanded, a determined scowl on his face. It was probably closest the bobcat came to looking intimidating. Slim's face returned to its normal color as he held up his hands.

"Everyone out! Party's over!" Lucky blared over the noisy crowd. As the crowd began to disperse, Scratchy cautiously approached Slim, ignoring his now throbbing fist.

"I believe Ms. Nurse said we needed to talk to you"

XXXX

Ralph's short attention span was being pushed to its limits tonight. Normally he lost himself in his own thoughts, but he remained focused on his task. He stood glued to the window door for past hour, or at least what he felt was an hour. So far he narrowly avoided being discovered 3 three times from other passing waiters. Plotz was still talking to the big guy who sat at the table with him. He couldn't hear a single word behind these doors. Was this the Slim guy they needed to find? He sure didn't look slim; this guy was kind of chubby. Then the thinner guy he'd come with earlier returned with drinks in each hand. Maybe it was him, he sure looked the part. He figured these guys were not out to hurt Plotz as the three of them were talking and laughing like old friends. Then the two mystery guys got up from their seats. The bigger guy shook Plotz's hand just before walking off. Plotz was alone again.

His left hand instinctively went for the final slice of gourmet pizza on the kitchen counter. Food always helped Ralph focus better, and this room had plenty of it lying around. Come to think of it, where were the chefs? Surely they wouldn't leave all of this around. Then he remembered the bubbling pots and pans on the stove. He had turned them off earlier when the food was starting to burn. It was as if something made all the chefs leave at once.

He heard a clatter. Ralph whipped his head back to see what caused it. A stray bucket had fallen to the floor near the back.

_Must have been mice… Wait maybe it was Pinky…_

A stinging foul aroma interrupted his train of thought. Suddenly the entire kitchen smelled like a room after a fresh coat of paint had been applied. A soft rustling could be heard. It was too dark to really see anything past the light shining thought the double doors. He needed more light. Pizza slice in hand, he slowly scanned the walls to look for a switch. Something wasn't right here. He barely noticed a brief shadow zipping by behind him.

"Looking for this?" a husky voice answered. He turned to his right. Every muscle in his body froze. The pizza slice dropped from his hands. In front of him, two glowering eyes stared down at him. Then he heard the flick of a switch, the lights came on.

In front of Ralph was the meanest looking grizzly bear he'd ever seen. The toon rested a beefy arm against the wall. One of his paws scratched at his ragged red checkered shirt. His sardonic smirk was partially hidden from a few lingering hairs in his grimy green mowhawk.

Ralph honestly though he looked like Smokey the Bear if he quit his job as park ranger, and became a punk instead. Each of his paws had gnarly looking claws that were overgrown and curled. Ralph was speechless, everything about this guy seemed wrong.

"What's with you big guy?" he asked. Hearing his voice was jarring. His calm and freindly voice reminded Ralph of his late Uncle Danny. But nothing about this guy seemed calm or friendly at all. "Ain't you going to tell me your name?"

"Ra- Ralph" he croaked nervously. The bear's expression went unchanged.

"Ralph. Nice to meet you" he patted himself on the chest. "Mr. Muguu"

"Moo goo?" Ralph clamped up when Muguu aimed a long rusty long claw at his nose.

"_Mr_. Muguu" the bear corrected. A harsh growl undercut his voice. Muguu let out a wide grin, exposing rows of yellowed sharp teeth. He raised his hand. A single swipe across Ralph's chest made the guard flinch. Suddenly his suit jacket fell apart; the tattered shreds littered the floor. He was back in his regular clothes "You're a security guard. I knew you weren't a chef. We chased them out hours ago." He chuckled. Ralph remained quiet as he silently cursed that his disguise was ruined. "I'm so rude; let me introduce you to my friends"

"Friends?" A heavy hand clamped on Ralph's shoulder, almost as big as his head. It twisted him around so fast he almost had his shoulder dislocated. Suddenly he was face to face with a pair of dark green eyes. This person was a human toon. Despite his apelike face, shaggy brown hair, and a lumbering physic, he gracefully twiddled on the toes of his tiny feet. He was dressed in a full body black leotard, a brass knuckle rested on his right hand.

"Ralph, Lionel. Lionel, Ralph" Muguu came forward. The new guy eyed him from head to toe.

"Pretty grungy looking chap I'd say" he scoffed with a slight British accent. His voice also didn't match with his body.

Ralph was too dumbfounded to notice something tightening around his waist. He looked and nearly jumped out of his skin. His belt didn't have yellow snake eyes. He hastily pulled the third guest off him. Wriggling in his hand was a long rubbery toon that looked like a cross between a ferret and a snake. This creature's body was coated with brown fur that tapered down into a long scaly tail. It spat out a belt buckle.

"Agh!" a squeaky voice rasped. Oddly enough, his voice actually fit. "Do they even make belts in your size?!"  
"Theys dos!" Ralph spat in offense. A light chuckle came from the human toon.

"And I thought only the rap stars liked to walk around with pants around their ankles" Lionel retorted. Ralph look down and realized he was standing in his shorts. Blushing, he dropped the weasel like freak and pulled them up.

"That's Siba; New guy" Muguu came forward. "He's special…" For no reason, Siba wriggled on the floor in a cackling fit of laughter, or what he supposed sounded like laughter. The other two joined with a few light hearted chuckles of their own. Ralph hastily backed behind a counter as they continued their chuckle fest. He quickly noticed all three of them ahd a bright sheen on their skin. It glistened underneath the harsh neon light. These toons were not normal, and he had met guys like Baloney the Dinosaur. Muguu was the first stop chuckling.

"Say, what's this? He looked down. Ralph did the same. It was the pizza slice he'd dropped.

"Aw, I thought we was friends…" Muguu looked back up with a long face. He crossed his arms

_We Were?_

"You had pizza and didn't leave any for us. Now that ain't right. Is it boys?"

" No. Very inconsiderate" Lionel answered. Siba rapidly shook his head like a rotating sprinkler. Ralph was still shaking to point where he couldn't really figure out what to say.

"Uh, sorry. Want, me to… make… you one?" Ralph wasn't sure why he said that. He couldn't cook. There was barely a time to think about what he said when he felt a hard tug on his shirt. His face was now pressed into Muguu's muzzle.

"Actually, how bout I make_ you_ one?" Muguu proposed. "All we knead is dough…"

Ralph cried out as he felt him being hurled onto a nearby counter. His face tasted the cold linoleum. Muguu's meaty fists grabbed at his arms and legs, and began pulling and twisting at them like fresh taffy.

It should be known that nearly all toons have the ability to squash and stretch their bodies to any extent. Ralph was no exception; it was how he was still standing after all the abuse the Warners gave him. As a result he'd built up a high tolerance for pain over the years. It didn't mean he couldn't feel it, especially when his body had pretty much been lying dormant inside his booth for a year.

The guard yelped as he felt himself flattened out and tossed into the air. After a few seconds, Muguu flopped back on the counter. Ralph groaned as his body slowly returned to normal. His neck ached as he lifted his head up. Lionel came forward balancing several small bowls in his arms. Siba's head poked from a bowl on top of his head.

"Get out of there, you'll contaminate the olives!" Lionel snapped.

"I like them!" Siba spat back. Ralph felt a tug on his shirt where his badge rested.

"So Ralph… Warners Bros huh?" The guard titled his head to the left. Mr. Muguu was tapping his foot. He noticed the bear was only wearing one shoe. It was black and white, kind of like the ones you'd see in a bowling alley.

_Wait, didn't that bobcat say something about a missing shoe?_

"Word on the street is that your studio's going under. And the CEO taking the heat" Ralph's eyebrows rose.

"How do you know about that? What dos you guys want with Plotz?" A shower of marinara sauce spilled onto his head. Lionel tossed a small bowl off the side.

"So sorry, but that's confidential information…" Lionel stated formally, not sounding at all sorry. Then he rapped at Ralph's head with the edge of his brass knuckle. Ralph rubbed his head "We read the news numskull!"

"So, Plotz is his name" Muguu pondered softly. " I always pictured him as a Percy or something like that. But anyway, we don't want anything. But if I were you Id start looking for a new job, because once he finds a way out, you're going out with it" Lionel chucked a bowl of shredded cheese all over Ralph.

"You don't know Plotz! He wouldn't do that!" Ralph sputtered cheese from his mouth. This guy barely knew his boss, who was he to talk bad about him?

"And what makes you say that chappie?" Lionel asked. Siba freely flung mushrooms and pepperoni on the entire counter.

"He's, he's a good guy. Hes just busy finding those Warners Brothers, And... And he's my friend…" A glob of sour cream splattered on his head. Muguu grabbed the back of Ralph's shirt collar.

"Ha! And you believe that crap?!" the bear exclaimed.

"Why wouldn't I?" Ralph breathed heavily. Lionel cleared his throat.

"You see, Mr Plotz may be your _friend_…" he flexed his fingers at the word friend "But he is still a businessman. He wants things that create revenue, sales, and of course results. And he needs people extendable enough to do that." Lionel threw a few olives his way.

"What he means is this…" Muguu came back in. He yanked up his head by the back of his shirt collar. "Hired help can always be replaced. If he wants to keep the studio around, he doesn't need worthless _fat_ slobs like you." Then he pulled a banana cream from off to the side and slammed it in his face. Lionel and Siba erupted into a fit of cackling laughter.

Their taunting smiles started to disappear when Ralph face darkened a few shades of red. The pizza toppings melted off him. It wasn't often whenever he got angry, but the awful things he just heard drove him to do just that. These three had crossed line, no one talked about his boss like that. Plotz didn't think he was worthless. Sure Plotz was angry at him in the past, but that didn't mean he didn't want him. Didn't it? The Warners teasing were all still in good fun. These guys were just being mean.

"Hey, he looks a little steamed…" Siba answered.

"What do ya know? He's already cooked!" Muguu cackled at his own joke. He was resting on a counter a few feet away. "You know, I let you meet my friends. You say Plotz is your _friend_. Maybe we should go out there and return the favor…"

Ralph had to act fast. These guys were going to hurt Plotz. It was here he noticed behind the bear, was a pizza pan buried under a bag of flour. Its wooden handle stuck out over the countertop. It was just a little out of his reach. Ralph looked down at Muguu's feet again. He needed that shoe. He didn't know why, but something in his memory told him he needed to get it. A bright ding went off in the back of his head. In a rare instance, he had an idea. With his temper gone, he sat up right.

"Wait! Duh, cans I has that shoe? It looks nice" Ralph asked politely, trying his best to ignore the conversation from earlier. Muguu 's smirk disappeared for a moment when he looked down. It returned with another derisive chuckle.

"Sure stupid." Muguu graciously accepted. He bent down to unfasten the shoes worn laces. Lionel frowned.

"I really don't think you…" the burly toon cut in before Muguu interrupted him.

"Shut up! I'm missing the other one anyway." He pulled the size 11 shoe of his foot and tossed it at Ralph. The guard rubbed the shoe's rough leather hide. "You know it's funny, no matter what I wear, no how hard I tap the ground. My feet never make a sound…"

"Aw gee… That's too bad!" Ralph exclaimed. Shoe in hand, he stretched his arm out towards the counter. The sole of the shoe slammed the pizza pan's handle, catapulting the bag of flour in the air. It exploded into a blinding fog. Ralph scrambled to his feet as the others coughed. For extra measure he blindly sucker punched the largest thing he could see in the gut. A deep cough followed by a growl came out.

"You gonna wish you hadn't done that." Muguu's voice trailed behind him. A low roar came afterwards. Ralph ignored the chills he got as he burst through the kitchen's double doors, leaving a trail of flour behind.

The CEO stared right at Ralph as he made a beeline for the table. It took a moment for him to realize who he really was underneath the thin layer of flour. But once he did, he didn't look happy.

"Wes gotta go boss!" Ralph hurriedly spoke.

"Ralph?!"Plotz yelled. Without a moment to lose, the guard grabbed his boss's hand. The red faced CEO kicked and pawed at the air. "Dammit Ralph! What do you think you're doing?! Let go!"

"Saving you!" Ralph blurted out.

"From what?!" They looked up after hearing a slam from the double doors. Ralph gulped. Muguu gnashed his teeth. It took one petrified look from Plotz to understand… "Well what are you waiting for? Get me out of here!"

Thankful he understood, he bolted from the table just as Muguu lunged for them. Not looking back, Ralph heard a crash followed by another grizzly roar.

His heart felt like it was beating a million times per minute. Muguu had picked up speed and started chasing them. He tightened his grip on Plotz's hand who dangled helplessly in air. There were a lot more toons around than there was earlier, and making his through them was slowing him down. His feet were almost brought to a standstill as he suddenly found himself packed like a sardine in a huge crowd. He looked back. Thankfully it seemed to be slowing down his pursuer too. Muguu muscled his way through the crowd in the opposite direction. For extra measure, Ralph ducked down to avoid being seen.

"Alight toons and toonettes, get out off your seats and start swinging!" A cheery voice blared within the commotion. Enthusiastic applause erupted around him. He raised his head for a brief moment and quickly understood what was going on. A large big band had formed at the center stage. It was just like the ones he used to see in those old black and white movies. Then the music started.

Ralph strained over sounds of blaring trumpets and saxophones as he struggled to find his way out. This was made even more difficult by the numerous dancing guests bumping against him. Up ahead he saw a clearing before him. Sighing in relief, Ralph barely noticed another person in front of him tapping his shoulder. He turned around.

"Uh-ohs" Ralph gasped. Grabbing onto his free hand was Lionel, now in a light blue zoot suit.

"Leaving already chap? The show just got started!" Ralph barely had time to protest as his body was suddenly flung into the air. Lionel quickly caught him before dropping him on the floor. He picked him up again and swung him around like a rag-doll, all while stepping in perfect timing to the fast paced music. Ralph groaned and grunted after each landing. An occasional grunt from Plotz followed every other time he hit the floor. Lionel was the _worst _dance partner ever.

"Ralph, Ow! Get us out of here! I'm too old to do the jitterbug! Ouch!" Plotz yelped over his shoulder

"You!" a voice answered behind him. He turned around. Muguu's head poked just above the thick crowd. The bear let out a short growl. Several toons cleared the way as Muguu ran right towards them. Ralph had to do something fast. Just as Muguu was on him, he twisted and twirled underneath Lionel's arm. He let go. The sudden movement caused Lionel to fly right into Muguu.

"Argh, let go of me Lionel!" the bear growled as the toon joyfully dragged him across the floor, oblivious that he'd unintentionally switched dance partners. Suppressing the urge to chuckle, Ralph made his leave through the crowd. With escape the only thing on his mind, he didn't care about the number of guests he bumped against. Up ahead was the exit out of this place.

_Almost there…_

He looked back again to see if he was still being tailed. He almost wished he didn't. Siba was there. He slithered towards them like a poisonous moccasin in the water. The furry snake/ferret hybrid coiled around the tables and sprung onto the table tops to gain on them. And it was working. The exit was only a few feet away. Then Siba prepared to strike.

He sprang into the air, his open mouth bared a set of fangs aimed at his back. Ralph closed his eyes in anticipation for the pain. Instead he heard a clang, and a thud of a falling body. He reopened his eyes. Trailing behind him was an unconscious Siba, lying on the floor.

"Keep Moving!" Plotz yelled. Ralph noticed in the corner of his eye that his boss had picked up a silver tray. A perfect imprint of Siba's rodent like face was on the tray. He didn't have time to admire Plotz's quick thinking as Lionel and Muguu suddenly reappeared from the crowd.

"Come on they're getting away!" Muguu called out to his partners.

Not wanting to risk another close call Ralph pulled out all the stops and ran as fast as he could. He could barely see his own two feet as he blazed out through the exit and into the main hallway. He breezed around a corner, almost hitting the wall in front of him. He kept going.

"Ralph, we lost them! Stop!" Plotz yelled out. Ralph's feet kept moving. He realized it had been a long time since he ran this fast. However, he forgotten that once he got moving, it was very hard to stop. This was a problem as directly in front of him was the balcony he'd fallen out earlier. "Stop!"

"I- is trying!" Ralph reached down in a futile attempt to grab his feet. The balcony was getting closer.

"Stop!" Plotz shouted. The guard jumped up and planted the heels of his shoes into the carpet. He could smell the scent of burning rubber as they skidded down the hallway. Slowly but finally, they came to a stop. Ralph let go of Plotz's hand and stopped to catch his breath. He was exhausted but he protected Plotz. Both of them were safe. Ralph frowned in puzzlement as his boss was still trembling and shaking.

"Dah, what's wrong? They're gone now"

"Ralph… don't look down!" was all the CEO could muster from his mouth.

"Why n…?" Ralph looked down and understood instantly. Beneath their feet was nothing but a 100 foot drop to the roof of the Schizelhaus. "Yipe!"

"You Idiot…!" Plotz shouted just as gravity finally gave way. The two of them held each other tight, screaming at the top of their lings, bracing for the impact below.

XXXX

Earlier around the same time, Slim's interview was about to begin. It only took a few minutes for the crowd to disappear. Lucky and Bonkers sat Slim down at a table while Scratchensniff and Nurse stood nearby. Neither of them wanted to be close to him right now, especially her. Nurse rubbed her bottom which was still sore from Slim's surprise slap. Slim's eye on the side where Scratchy punched him was already starting to turn pink. In a day or two, he'd have a definite black eye. She was almost disappointed that Lucky and Bonkers showed up when they did. She would have given him an extra lick right after Scratchensiff. After a few more minutes of awkward silence, Slim finally spoke up.

"Look I ain't done anything since my shop closed down, I'm an honest man!"

"Relax, relax" Bonkers sat on the opposite side of the table. "Were not here to bust you…"

"Although wed like too" Lucky interjected.

"We just want to ask a few questions about two guys that disappeared recently" The cowboy spat on the ground.

"Well pardner, what if I ain't got nothing to say?" Slim sneered.

"Then you won't mind being taken in for sexual harassment and disorderly conduct." Bonkers explained.

Alameda Slim nearly rose from his seat when Lucky came from behind. His equally beefy arms wrapped around Slim's broad shoulders in a vice grip. The cowboy nearly slipped out of his seat as he tried to escape his grasp.

"And I'll take you to the slammer myself!" Lucky grunted. "It's your deal, _pardner_" he mocked his southern drawl on the word partner.

"Okay okay! I'll tell you what I know" he grumbled reluctantly. "Just let go of me!" Lucky released his grip and let Slim sit back down. Nurse wasn't happy with option of letting him go, but as long they received information they needed, it was fine. Besides, the sucker punch was justice enough for her.

"Thank you, see how easy that was?" Bonkers stated cheerfully. His face instantly went back to serious mode as he marched across the table and right up to Slim's face. "Promise you'll tell the truth?"

"Yes!"

"The whole truth and nothing but the truth?"

"Yes!"

"Perfect, so tell me… where were you when the devil went down to Georgia?"

"What?!" Slim barked in confusion. Lucky shoved Bonkers off the table and took a seat.

"I got this…" Lucky muttered "Do you happen to know anything about Pinky and the Brain? They are the two white lab mice that disappeared a few weeks ago. A few sources say they were in_ your_ shop a while back." Slim rolled his eyes to the ceiling as he rest a finger under his chin.

"Nope, don't recall I have…"

"Maybe this will jog your memory" Lucky tossed him a picture of the two lab mice along the damaged receipts from the lab. Slim took out a pair of bifocals from his jacket and gingerly examined each receipt. His face soured a bit when he realized his own signature was on a few of them.

"You have lovely penmanship by the way" Bonkers cut in briefly. Slim laid the receipts down.

"Yeah, you know what; I might have seen these guys several months ago. They said they needed as much metal as they could get. One of the best sales I've had in a while."

"You can probably tell these receipts were too damaged to tell us the full story. So tell us, what else do you remember them buying?" Lucky continued.

"The shorter one asked for Glass panes, oil, a few gears, gasoline…" While Slim continued explaining, Nurse glanced at the receipts. Sure enough, the ones that had held Slim's signature, did indeed list those items. "…the taller one asked if I sold cheese and I told him this ain't no damn restaurant…"

"Focus! Did they buy anything such as plane parts?"

"Nope, told em if they wanted that they had to go out of town. To where, I don't know." Lucky busily wrote down a few notes in his writing pad.

"Okay, Your store closed down for good in June of last year, right?

"Right!" Slim replied. This rose Nurse's attention. He was quick to answer this one.

_A little too quickly if you ask me_

She took one side glance at Scratchensniff. He stared straight ahead with that intense frown he always had whenever he felt something wasn't right. It was comforting knowing he seemed to have the same suspicion she had.

"Now, I'm going to ask you this; and be honest! Did your store sell paint thinner?" Slim paused for a few seconds.

"No."

"Did the mice try to buy paint thinner at that store? Did they ask for any?"

"No, No!"

"Did anyone come in for paint thinner at all?"

"You takin me for some dirty pusher man?!" Slim raised his voice.

"I'm taking you to jail if don't tell us what we need to know!" Lucky matched his tone. Nurse could understand why be would be upset. Paint thinner was a chronic poison for toons, you weren't exactly looked up favorably if someone knew you sold it. Slim stared up at the ceiling for a moment and rubbed his eyes. Finally he answered.

"Ye-Yes, someone did"

"Describe the situation for me…"

"Four guys came in asking for some about a month before I was shut down. I told them we don't sell that kind of stuff here.

"If they didn't get paint thinner, what did they get?

"Gasoline. About 10 jugs worth. Masks and gloves, lots of gloves" Slim picked up the receipt and held it to Lucky's face. "And this the correct date alright. March 10. Exactly one month before I closed." Nurse's mouth dropped, so someone else was involved in this whole thing.

"Describe them. What did they look like?" Lucky continued. Slim narrowed his eyes as sweat began to bead from his head. "Come on, now's not the time to get cold feet" he pressed on.

"Cause wed sure hate to thaw out those babies" Bonkers cut in. He tapped at Slim's rusty brown cowboy boots. She was surprised, while Bonkers was so zany and unorthodox, Lucky was a strict by the book officer. How did these two end up together? Slim grimaced as he began to speak.

"One them had…"

Everyone was completely oblivious when something heavy crashed through the ceiling. It landed right on the table where Slim and the detectives sat. Everything disappeared in a blinding cloud of dust. Nurse coughed as she accidentally inhaled the scent of falling drywall of and plaster. She covered her mouth and nose with front end of her white blouse. A hand landed on her shoulder.

"Nurse, are you okay?" Scratchensniff voice called out.

"Yes, I am" she replied. In a few moments the dust finally cleared up. On the table, or what was left of it was Ralph. The guard tiredly heaved as he lay on the ground. The last time she'd seen him so exhausted was when he chased the Warners several months ago. On top of him was an equally dazed Mr. Plotz.

"I told you don't look down…" The CEO breathed just before he flopped down on Ralph's back. Bonkers appeared from behind him. He looked down at Lucky's head poking out from underneath Ralph's gut.

"Lucky, what are you doing down there?"

"Nothing, I'm just admiring the floor work" Lucky grumbled. Bonkers zipped underneath Plotz and lifted him above his head. Then he dropped him on the floor. Plotz got up and brushed dust off his ripped suit jacket.

"And this was a rental too..." PLotz mumbled. Nurse ignored his typical response as she looked over at Bonkers straining himself in a futile attempt to lift Ralph. Scratchensniff shook his head.

"You aren't going to lift him" Scratchy commented. "You need help?"

"No wait, I almost got it!" Bonkers shrieked. His eyes were about ready bug out of his head. She and Scratchensniff ran over to help.

It took both the effort of them along with Bonkers to get Ralph off the ground. Ralph in return bent over and helped Lucky up afterwards. Nurse could hear a tiny crack when the large detective struggled to get back on his feet. She realized he'd taken the brunt of the impact. By instinct, she started lightly poking at his arms see if anything was broken.

"Are you alright? Does it hurt move?" she asked.

"Nah, I'm fine." he rubbed his back. "I'm getting too old for this…Beyond irritated, he turned to the others.

"Vhat happened?!" Scratchensniff asked.

"Big guys… after us… I saved him... But I got his shoe!" Ralph panted breathlessly. He pulled out a red and white shoe from his pocket. Nurse's face scrunched in confusion. Everyone else's except Ralph's did likewise. He might as well told them he was an alien. The CEO swiped the shoe out of his hands.

"What?! You mean that's why those freaks were after us? You stole their shoe?!" he yelled. Lucky jumped in between them just as a Plotz was getting ready to clobber him with it.

"He can explain later, we still have a few questions to ask our buddy Slim here"

"Wait Slim's here?!" Plotz's eyes widened.

"Sure he's, hah?" Lucky mouth gaped open. In his hands was Alameda Slim's rhinestone jacket. But Slim wasn't in it. He looked around just as everyone else did. Nurse also noticed that the trophy Scratchy hit him with was gone too. Slim had escaped. He buried his free hand into his face. "Aww, nuts"

**Stay tuned. I should have the next one up very soon.**


	8. Chapter 7: Group Squabble

**A/N: Hope you all had a great Valentine's Day. Here's another one up for you all. Had to proofread and fix a few mistakes in the last chapter. I really need to get better at catching these early on. Since this one is a lot shorter, it might be a bit underwhelming. Hope you enjoy it anyway.**

* * *

Chapter 7: Group Squabble

7:00 PM

Nurse buried a hand into her face. They finally had a major breakthrough in the case and they lost it within seconds. Ralph and Plotz's bad fall created the perfect distraction for Slim to get away.

"I thought it seemed a little less crowded up here!" Bonkers realized, stating the obvious. Mr. Plotz growled in agitation and smacked at Ralph's side.

"Nice going you nitwit!" he groaned harshly. Ralph cringed at his comment and simply hung his head. She wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly shrunk before their eyes. Plotz, had a knack for doing that.

_Way to show gratitude Mr. Plotz. He did save your life…_

"Wait a minute… let me see that shoe" Bonkers requested. Ralph, head still down, did as told and gave it to him. The large magnifying glass from earlier reappeared in his hand when he eyed the shoes worn leather.

"How did you know we were here?"Scratchensniff spoke up.

"We heard you scream, what the hell were you doing going in without us?!" Lucky scolded. Plotz jumped in front of him.

"Scratchensniff I expected you to set an example! I told you_, all of you_, to stay outside!" Plotz yelled, pointing a finger at him. Scratchensniff frowned as he attempted to get a word in edgewise.

"I'm sorry, but-"

"See this is exactly why I thought it was a mistake to bring you all. You can't just keep running off trying to…"Lucky grumbled. Irritated, Nurse stomped her feet in front of Plotz and him. The fire inside her had been relit. This wasn't fair. It's not like this whole thing was his fault either.

"It was my idea! I left to find Slim." She blurted aloud. Everyone turned towards her.

"You?!" Plotz jumped in astonishment. She stormed towards Lucky who backed up, a guilty grimace on his face.

"The only reason Scratchy came because he was looking out for me! Something _you_ weren't doing!" She hated to be harsh, but he had no right to be critical right now.

" Yeah! What's the idea of leaving us in the middle of the road?!" Plotz added, suddenly turning his anger onto him. "What took you so long? You lost your brains with your car?!" He poked a finger into Lucky's trembling gut. Nurse wasn't surprised at how quickly he jumped on him like that. She almost regretted that she said anything, almost. She was a bit surprised at what he said, was he really on her side? "Figures you would leave a woman to fend for herself!"

_Never mind__…_

"Excuse me, I need to…" Bonkers attempted to speak above his shouting. Nurse realized she was the only one who noticed.

"Now wait a minute…!" Lucky stepped forward.

"Quiet!" Bonkers demanded. He was ignored again.

"No _you _wait minute!" Plotz countered. Then Bonkers shrieked at the top of his lungs.

"Hold It!" Dead silence was his response. All eyes in the room locked onto him. The giddy smile from earlier had vanished. A full on disapproving glare stretched across his face. A stray wood chip fluttered from the hole in the ceiling.

"Nice…" Lucky dug into one of his ears.

"That's better. Look we can't keep blaming each other for what happened. Sometimes funny things just happen! It's Mickey's Law!"

"Murphy's Law" Lucky quipped.

"Tomato tomahto, the point Warners are counting on us! You think they would be happy if they knew we were going at each other like this?" Everyone shifted in an awkward period of silence. Seeing the bobcat being serious was actually a bit unnerving.

"No, they wouldn't" Scratchensniff uttered softly. The others nodded their heads in response. Plotz still looked very miffed as he pouted and crossed his arms, but that was normal for him. Lucky rubbed his forehead. He let out a sigh.

"Look, I'm sorry we took so long. When we came back, we saw you guys were gone. We figured the worst and came as quick as we could." Nurse's scowl lessened a bit. They _did_ handle the situation once they came back. Even though she was still upset at him, she could tell he truly felt bad about the whole thing.

"So, let's start this over" Bonkers frown melted away. "Lucky…"

"Alright, Nurse…" the portly detective cautiously lumbered a few steps to her. "How'd you know did you know Slim would be here?"

"I didn't. But Bonkers said that Slim loved yodeling. Then I heard the music coming inside the Schitzelhaus. So wouldn't a club that encourages his kind of music be right up his alley?" she answered truthfully. It was flaky tip at best, but she thought it was better than nothing. While Lucky was understandably perplexed, Bonkers face lit up with stars in his eyes.

"Wow! Attractive and attentive! She's getting just like me" he beamed.

"That, I find scary" Lucky muttered.

"So that explains _your_ business" Plotz muttered. Nurse wasn't happy to hear that, but that was close to a compliment she would ever get from him. "So what did he say? Is this guy the reason my studio is going under?" he added, returning his gaze on the detectives. Bonkers put an arm around his shoulder.

"Not quite sure, but we can say he's more suspicious than a kid with frosting on his face." He replied.

"Our cowboy here didn't feel like talking until we added the heat" Lucky cut in. "All we know is this, he sold Pinky and the brain most of the items on the receipts. He claims he didn't sell them that paint thinner, nor did they ask for some. However, someone else did. Who, we don't know.

"What else?" Plotz shouted impatiently. "How long has he been doing this?

"There is nothing else, that's all we got before we lost him"

"Not quite! That's where this little baby comes in!" Bonkers chirped. He held up the shoe Ralph found earlier. His partner stared at him in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Bonkers ignored him as he approached Ralph. He tugged at his shirt tail.

"Hey, Big guy!"

"Yeah?" the guard's head lifted up. He'd been completely silent up until now.

"Where did you get this shoe?"

"From the guys dat chased me. I- I figured you need it" he replied meekly. Lucky took one look at the shoe and took out his notepad.

"Tell us everything that happened" Lucky commanded. Ralph took a side glance at Plotz.

"Well go on! The other two explained themselves!" Plotz snapped. Ralph did as told as he summarized the story in the best way he could.

"Okay, so I went insides the other club so I could keep an eye on Plotz. But I didn't want him to see me so I dressed up a waiter for a disguise when I wents inside." He blabbed rapidly. With his frog like voice and slight stutter, Nurse knew that Ralph wasn't always the best speaker. It was part of the reason he was rarely used in episodes without the Warners back on the show. The guard tiptoed around the damaged table top "Th-Then I found the kitchen to be the perfect spot, so I rushed in past Plotz as fast as I could."

"SO _you_ were that waiter who ran past me!" Plotz stated in realization. Ralph nodded as he continued. He held his hands to his face as if he was looking through binoculars.

"So I stayed in there for an hour while I looked at Plotz through da window. Bu- But nothing happened. So I ates two of the pizzas inside to pass the time…"

"Vhy vould you do that?" Scratchy arched an eyebrow.

"Food helps me tink better!" Ralph rubbed his belly. Bonkers popped up from behind his shoulder.

"What kind of cheese was on it?" he asked.

"Tink it was cheddar mixed with brie-Oww!" Plotz had pulled him down to his height by the ear.

"Focus Ralph! Get to when those guys came up!" he seethed. Ralph rubbed his sore ear after he let go.

"Oh yeah, so when I watching him, this big bear with green hair on his head came out at me!" The guard raised his arms above his head and gnashed his teeth. "Then there was this shaggy haired guy with a lot of muscles that talked like Wakko. Both of them were real big and strong. An- and Then this little rat snake thing with beady eyes snuck on me and ate my belt." He lifted up his gut which accidentally caused his pants to loosen up. Bonkers grabbed them at the waist just before they fell down.

"Yikes! No need for a reenactment! I don't want to hafta put you in for indecent exposure!" he remarked.

"Goodnight everybody…" Scratcensniff muttered flatly. Nurse whipped her head towards him when tiny gasp piped from his mouth. Plotz went slack jawed for a brief moment.

"Did you just… never mind. Keep talking Ralph." He said after regaining his composure.

"But all these guys were all bright and shiny, they knew who I was, and they knew about Plotz too!"

"All shiny? Bonkers you know any toons that look like that?" Lucky asked. His co partner rested a finger underneath his lips.

"Nope, and I know just about every toon who lives in California!" Bonkers responded before Ralph resumed.

"…But then they said mean tings about me, and about you. And they tossed me around, pulled on me, and flattened me out, and they put toppings all over me like a pizza…!"

"You poor thing!" Nurse answered incredulously.

"What kind of cheese did they put on _you_?" Bonkers cut in again.

"I tinks…"

"Can we stop talking about food?! What did those guys want with me?!" Plotz yelled. Ralph paused a moment before continuing.

"They said they wanted to meet you, But I knew it wasn't true." He grabbed the shoe he found from Bonkers. "So I tricked the bear into giving dis shoe and I ran out a there! Then I founds Plotz and those guys stared to chase me. I tried to lose them in the crowd but then the shaggy haired guy found me and made me dance with him" he twiddled on his toes before stumbling over the table top. Plotz let out brief grunt when he fell on top of him. Then he got back up "And afters I ran from him, the little rat snake thing chased us until Plotz hit him with a pan"

"I personally think it looked like a weasel mixed with a lizard." The CEO brushed himself off.

"…Then after we lost them in the crowd. I ran ran ran as fast as I could!" Ralph huffed. He held the shoe under his arm like a quarterback while his legs ran in place. Then they screeched to a halt. "But we sort of fell right out the window. Then Plotz said don't look down , then I looked down and we fell in here and then Doctor Scratchy asked what happened? and I said Big guys were…" A hand slapped over his mouth.

"I think they get the picture Ralph!" Plotz scolded. Once he was done, Nurse couldn't wrap her head around it. Her mind was in a sublime state of disblief and astonishment. She heard a lot of strange stories, and this one was no exception.

"Wow! You got all that Lucky?" Bonkers exclaimed. He looked behind him.

"I think I did…" Lucky lightly flipped up several overwritten pages in his notepad. "And your saying _all_ of this happened?"

"Uh huh! It's true!" Ralph replied.

"Are you sure about this Ralph?" Scratchensniff asked, understandably confused. Plotz shot a disgusted glare at him.

"Of course he's sure!" Plotz scoffed. "Those freaks could have killed me! I've never been so frightened in my life!"

"Mr. Plotz if you don't mind me asking, what were _you_ doing inside the Ink and Paint Club to begin with?" Lucky asked. The short man seemed to deflate a bit at hearing that.

"What do you think? I was looking for Slim too!" Plotz answered quickly. "I asked anybody inside that might have known where Slim was. But- but"

"But no one knew. So is that all?"

"Of course that's all!" he spat back, as if asking that was an insult. Nurse wasn't sure why he sounded so defensive. Was it the fact that he couldn't handle that she and others made a bigger break in the case than he did? Was it something else entirely, or both?

"Big guy, did one of these guys have a brass knuckle?" Bonkers asked. The bald guard blinked in surprise.

"Yeah, he did. He hit me with it" Ralph pointed to a bump on his forehead where the guy knocked him. The bobcat stared at it for a couple more seconds before he started pulling various items from his blue jacket.

"Bonkers what are you thinking about?"

"Lucky, don't you think it's a huge coincidence Ralph met these guys when we started this investigation?" the orange cat proposed. A sly grin on his face.

"Not really…"

"Ralph, these guys were big and strong weren't they?"

"Uh- huh, Uh-huh!" Ralph eagerly nodded his head. Bonkers took out a picture that was used in the slideshow earlier that morning. It was the damaged inside of the planes hull.

"…Probably strong to make these dents we saw on the hull." He took out another picture. "And Lucky, you remember what we found when went through the wreckage?"

"A scorched paddle ball, a can, a brass knuckle and… a size eleven 11 bowling shoe" Lucky's eyebrows rose. He held up the image of said for everyone to see. He held Ralph's found shoe next to it. Black and white, it was the same color too.

"And what did our body guard find tonight? A size 11 bowling shoe!" Bonkers motioned everyone to come closer. She wasn't sure if he was doing this to avoid spilling the news to anyone else overhearing, or if it was just for dramatic effect. Probably the latter.

"Come on, it could be anyone else's shoe" Lucky shook his head.

"I know a lot of toons, and I know there are not many that wear _bowling _shoes on a regular basis, especially _non-human_ toons." Nurse gasped as she realized the point Bonkers was trying to make.

"Our hijackers didn't disappear for good, Ralph just met them tonight." When he said that, Ralph's jaw dropped to the floor, a guttural moan came from his mouth. Plotz fidgeted as he pulled at his hair.

"What?! That means…. We were just…! They… had...!" he stuttered. For once he was at a loss for words.

"So this does mean that Pinky and the Brain are innocent?" Scratchensniff spurted excitedly.

"Whoa hold on there" Lucky cut in. "Those two aren't off the hook yet. We still have to figure out how they got hold of that paint thinner. I don't think they bought it themselves, but someone else definitely did. And if Bonkers is right, it was probably those guys Ralph met tonight." Meanwhile, Bonkers paced around the table top, barely avoiding a broken table leg that nearly tripped him up.

"Last year, on March 10 is when they came to Slim. April 2 is when the Warners disappeared. So something happened within those few weeks." he pondered.

"We know one thing for sure, Slim is lying that he didn't sell paint thinner. The company's label on the charred can proves that point. So he had to get it somewhere else. The question is where?"

"There are several paint stores all around Burbank, why wouldn't they go to any of those places? It would be easy to buy some…" Scratchensniff proposed.

"Easy to buy for _humans_, not toons! It's illegal to have possession of paint thinner without a permit. That is a state wide law." Plotz corrected.

"Right, so they had to go out of state where that law isn't enforced." said Bonkers. He reached into his jacket and out came an enormous fold out map. It was gingerly laid it on the broken table. On it was a color coded image of the United States. All of the states were blue while a few select ones; California, Washington, Oregon, Georgia, Florida, and New York were in pink.

"Why is some of the states colored pink?" Ralph asked.

"Good question, all of the states in pink are ones that have a high toon population. It also the states where paint thinner is outlawed. But the blue ones, heh! Those are free game!" Bonkers answered.

"That's still lot of space to search from." Lucky rubbed his head.

"Not exactly, look at this…" Bonkers rummaged a gloved hand inside Slim's rhinestone jacket. From the jacket came two small paper slips that were hidden in the back pocket . Lucky picked up the first one.

"It's a to do list: Win Poker championship, check, Meet up with Notty back on Sunday, collect from D.L…" he read slowly. Bonkers read the other slip. It was a small business card.

"Notts and Mils Scrapyard and Co. We specialize in used parts, for home improvement, auto repair, and various other needs. Located 4235 Wally St. in El Paso Texas!" Lucky swiped his slip down on the map.

"I bet my gut that's where we'll find out what's really going on here" hr gloated with renewed determination.

"And that's a lot of gut to bet" Bonkers poked a gloved finger right into his belly. Lucky then grumpily chucked Slim jacket right into his face.

"Oh that's where- El Paso?!" Plotz yelped as if someone told his hair was on fire. "No, No No. there has to be someplace else."

"Sorry pal, but that's our very next stop!" Bonkers replied. He clambered on top of Plotz balding head in the excitement "Can you believe it?! This could be the case of the century...!" He hit the ground with a thud after Plotz shoved him off.

"No, that may be _our_ stop. But _my _stop tonight, is straight home!" The CEO angrily stomped down the wooden stairs, mumbling to himself. Nurse's face scrunched in confusion, Plotz was acting very funny tonight. And not funny in a good way either.

"Ah, Why not? It's getting late anyway" Bonkers let out a yawn. He carelessly bounced down the stairs on his feet and tail. Nurse shook her head in disbelief, was this same guy the Warners ripped on their show every now and then? One minute he's hyperactive and zany and another minute he's actually competent. His partner rubbed his still sore back.

"Well, come on guys. We'll start again tomorrow" Lucky tiredly trudged after him. Nurse watched them disappear down the smoky first floor. Only her and her other two coworkers remained.

"I-Is gotta get going too. It's almost my bedtime" Ralph quickly uttered before he made his way down the stairs. She was surprised at how he wasn't giddy with joy after what they found out just a few minutes ago. She also cursed herself for not bothering to ask if he was okay, he'd taken a huge beat down earlier.

"Ralph, you did well tonight. You really did" said Scratchensniff. It happened just as she began to say something herself. Ralph froze midway down the stairs at hearing her working partner's voice. He looked back up.

"Tanks…You think, Plotz is still mad me?" he answered softly. She looked at Scratchy who gave his best sympathetic smile. They both figured the answer to that question, but they knew was Ralph was sensitive guy. It wouldn't be right to tell him right now.

"Plotz is just tired. He'll feel better tomorrow." She replied with as much optimism as she could muster. It seemed to be just enough. Ralph gave a small smile of his own and continued down the stairs. The psychiatrist sighed.

"I tried talking to him earlier, he vas very defensive. I figured a little encouragement would be best for right now." Scratchy explained.

"Guess we'll have to keep trying then" Nurse shrugged. While she would like for him to say more, what he said was good enough. Whether Ralph knew it or not, he was a big help tonight. The two of them plodded down the stairs together.

"I'm starting to think the Varners zaniness never vent away; it just rubbed off onto me." Scratchy commented while he stared at his still throbbing fist.

"You worked with them over 20 years Doctor. I'd be more surprised if it didn't" she retorted. He chuckled. He actually chuckled. While she didn't find her comment all that witty, it was refreshing to hear that come out of him. It had been a long time since she'd seen him laugh. Despite her experience in medicine and nursing, she still believed laughter was a very valuable to a person's health And the Warners always gave him plenty.

There were still so many questions to ask after what happened today, probably more than what she had before. But she only had enough energy to ask for one for tonight.

"Doctor Scratchensniff, you know why Plotz got so weird when he found out we were going to El Paso?"

The psychiatrist frowned for a moment before he answered. He'd known Plotz a lot longer than both her and Ralph combined. She had a feeling this wasn't going to be a good answer.

"Plotz will kill me if he knows I told you. He doesn't like to talk about it but…"

"But What?"

"El Paso is his hometown" Oddly enough, out of all the surprises Nurse had tonight, this one surprised her the most.

"But I thought he was born right here in Bur-"She began to ask just as a honk of a car horn interrupted her.

"Will you two quit squawking and get inside what's left of this car?!" Plotz yelled from outside.

"What's left?" they asked in unison. When they came outside they instantly knew why. The detective's police cruiser had been stripped of its windows, doors, and hull. Amazingly, it was still running. Lucky and Bonkers sat up front, Lucky behind the wheel this time. Plotz had clambered up to front to honk the car horn before plopping himself in the backseat beside Ralph. It looked less like a car and more like a go kart. She sighed; at least she wouldn't have to worry about no elbow room on the ride back.

XXXX

8:30 PM

Over an hour later, Mr. Plotz was already trudging back towards his office. He had to check to see if his secretary hadn't screwed up that much today. It felt great to be back on his feet after the long uncomfortable ride back. Part of it was from the detectives irritating bickering, while the other was clinging on to Ralph's gut to avoid hitting the freeway at 70 mph. Plus, there was the decision he made back at the Ink and the Paint Club.

_I did the right thing…_

After pushing that though out of his mind, he opened the door. To his surprise Corden was busily looking over some files at his desk. He figured he would have went home by now. When he looked up, his face morphed into that of excitement and then horror. He rushed over leaving a trail of papers in his wake.

"Plotz, Oh God… What happened to you?" he asked, tugging at the tears in his blue suit. "When I said take it easy, I actually _meant _take it easy!

"It's a long story…" Plotz responded tiredly. He spent the next few minutes recounting everything that happened earlier today. In return, Corden informed Plotz that not too much happened at the studio while he was gone.

"…All we had was another meeting to promote new DVD sales" Corden explained. "Well, that and the Hip Hippos complained about not getting a gold trailer, and another angry mob tried to fry Chicken Boo…" Plotz slumped into his chair and nearly fell out of it. It was re adjusted a lot lower than at its usual height. Corden could have had the decency to give him a warning.

"That's nice, studios still in limbo and I'm being dragged against my will out to El Paso!" he remarked irritably.

"What's wrong with El Paso? I hear nice and warm this time of the year."

"It's warm every time of the year!" Corden ignored his fussing as he picked up the fallen pages.

"Still, remember how I said you have been overworked? We'll here's your opportunity to finally relax! Who knows? You might even enjoy it…" It sure didn't feel like an opportunity. Corden didn't know that, but he sure as hell wasn't going to tell him why. Going back 'home' was not something he felt like doing, especially right now. He'd sworn years ago that he would never go back. So he changed the subject to one that of high importance, but still just as uncomfortable. He pulled the lever on the side of his chair, the seat rose as far as it could go.

_I made the right choice…_

"You wouldn't believe who I ran into tonight…" Plotz grinned. Corden stopped in his tracks.

"Who?"

"J.W Globbwobber, we had a nice chat, had a couple of drinks, then he brought this." He reached inside his suit jacket. In his hands was a blank copy of the contract. "Look at it, legally binding" He handed it to Corden who snatched the document from him.

"Oh god, Plotz! This is excellent! This could put us out of our rut!" he cheered. The document vigorously wobbled in his hand. Plotz snatched it back before he wrinkled it.

"Yes, exactly what I thought"

"So were there any contradictions or technicalities?"

Not that I saw"

"Did you at least have a witness?"

"Of course, his secretary was there."

"That's great! So, did you sign it?

Plotz's smile faltered before he spoke. It was the most important decision he had to make for the studio in a long time. Normally once he made a choice, what was done is done. And he rarely changed his mind. But the new change in this mystery really turned everything around.

_That stupid bobcat…!_

Now he had to wonder how he was going to break it to everyone else. That would be easy right? He'd always been good at it before. He didn't have to worry. They'll understand.

_I did what was best for the studio… Right?_

"Yes, I did."


	9. Chapter 8: Interlude

**Here is another brief interlude to tie you over until the next chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 8: Interlude/ The Chase Is On

Somewhere at 3:00 AM in the morning

_Being a watchman sucks…_

Mr. Muguu lazily reclined in an old chair nearly creaked under his wieght. His eyes dimmed in the low light from the celling lamp above him. His naked feet were still sore from the long evening earlier. In front of him past the iron bars were his captives, the Warners ,sprawled across the floor. They laid there quietly giggling, half smiling with dopey grins. This is what they always did when they weren't asleep. If it wasn't the long boring hours of doing nothing, or the unbearable musty smell of mold and half eaten gruel splattered on the wall, it was this…

"Siibbs, I got another riddle for you!" Yakko slurred, his head poked up from the floor. Muguu had really grown to despise this one.

"What? What?" the other two Warners cackled as they briefly flopped on their knees.

"What's big and fluffy, and big, and looks like Sid Vicious?"

"Is it, the watchman?" Dot squeaked.

"Nope, it's a flabby circus freak with a bad hairdo" the eldest Warner's head wobbled.

"What's the difference?" Wakko coughed.

They burst into a brief fit of chuckles that died down as they tiredly as fell back to the floor. Muguu grumbled at the display. This was the 50th time he'd heard that joke. And he still didn't find it funny. The Warners had just recently regained consciousness and were still very delirious. And once they got delirious, they got really annoying. Luckily his partners were bringing in the one thing that could knock them back out again.

_If only they would hurry the hell up…_

At the end of the hallway, Lionel and Siba came forward. Lionel held two large duffle bags under his meaty arms. Siba simply slithered around his neck and on the top of his head. He tightened up into a coil, creating a makeshift turban for Lionel.

"Siba please…Get off!" he groaned bluntly. Muguu got up; the chair fell off just as he got on his feet.

"Took you two long enough! Where the hell…?!" A ringing from his phone chimed in his pocket. He groaned. Despite the nice tune, it was always followed by bad news. "Hello?"

"_Don't hello me, you know who I am!" _the caller's voice bellowed in his ear.

"Oh, right" He winced at knowing how this would go.

"_Look I can't talk for long, so you better listen good. First, ask me why, why I leave you guys alone for one night and you idiots already caused trouble?! Those detectives are already on our tails! What were you trying to do?!"_

"Well, we were just uh, tr-trying to scare them off" Muguu's voice rose up a few pitches while he fumbled with his words. It was a growing habit that developed whenever he talked to his boss. He hated it; unfortunately his partners had a different opinion. Siba pressed his clawed hands on mouth to stifle his raspy chuckles.

"Trouble on the phone?" Lionel simply held a smug grin on his face. Muguu's hair spiked up when he whipped his head around.

"Shut Up!" he growled.

"_The hell did you say to me?!"_ Muguu nearly dropped the phone as he fumbled to regain his composure, and failing in the process.

"No! No! I didn't mean that but look, Look it wasn't our fault! This big fat guard came and ruined…"

"_I don't care what happened, I care that they know about you! I just found out there heading to EL Paso. You guys got to go there too._

"Come on, we just came _back_ from a trip!"

"_That's tough; you got to get down there before they do! I don't care what you do! Stop them_!"

"Well, well aren't you coming down us?

"_Of course not, that's where they might expect me to go! Besides I still have unfinished business here in Burbank. Now are we clear?_"

"We are"

"_Good! And by the way, change your wardrobe! You look like a circus freak with a bad hairdo!"_ He heard a click on phone, and then his partners' laughter came a second later.

"See, told you!" Yakko laughed before drooping back down again.

"It's not fun-"he paused and cleared his throat. "It's not funny!" his deeper voice returned.

"It sounds quite funny to me" Lionel chortled. The toon grunted when the bear's fist forced his back to the wall.

"You be quiet! It's your fault he got away! Dancing on floor like you ain't have no sense…" he grunted himself when a tiny foot slammed him back towards the cell bars. Why did he have to be as strong as him?

"Excuse me for being a person who appreciates music. But, who was the one who that gave the guard a shoe?" he narrowed his eyes at the bear. Muguu knew he was right; he hated it when he was right.

"Touché" he muttered, mispronouncing as 'tooch' instead. "Look we got another job; the boss wants us down in El Paso."

"What for?" Siba asked.

"I'll tell ya'll later, just go get the car ready" the toon croaked briefly before back down the hallway he came from.

"Lionel, go check on Brain. Make sure he stays too"

"Already did. That chap's not going anywhere." The toon flexed the muscles in his burly hands. Mr. Muguu looked down at the Warners. He really didn't care what happened to these guys, all of them were just cogs in his boss's great plan. Who was he to question that? They practically owed their lives to him. If he got busted, then the big plan was ruined. There was no telling what would happen next. And he wasn't waiting to find out.

He stared at the Warner closest to the bars. It was Wakko. The edges on his bright red hat were slightly worn after months of wear and tear. Muguu squeezed a meaty paw through the bars and gingerly took it off his head. He put on backwards on his own head, a few green strands of hair stuck out through the back end.

"Hmm, not bad. Of course your initials are not W.W." Lionel uttered in approval. He dropped the duffle bags and opened of them.

"Boss did say I need to change my wardrobe, it's not like this kid going to need it anytime soon" He reached in the bag and pulled out a pair of latex gloves. After that, he pulled out some orange tinted goggles and snapped them on his face. Lionel did likewise and opened the other bag. Out came two jugs of paint thinner "Alright, let's shut these guys up real quick." He muttered.

He didn't know if the detectives were working alone or they had a crew with them, but he definitely knew that guard, Ralph, definitely was. Once he found those guys, he was going to kill that fat bastard.

'What was that? Who's coming?" the middle Warner perked up. The doped up smile was gone. Muguu placed the jugs against the cell bars, and then he opened both lids. The noxious fumes oozed out the openings, and inside the cell. The Warner's head bobbed while his eyes slowly fluttered less and less. His other two siblings stopped giggling.

"None of your business. Now, go back to sleep"

"Nighty… night…"

Muguu didn't care how tough the Warners were when he and Lionel took them that night. Once they opened these jugs, the fight in them was over faster than you can say Animaniacs.

**Hate to leave it at that, but still, stay tuned for the next chapter. I'll try to do a better job at updating a little more frequently. On a unrelated note, if you haven't seen my profile page, last year I recently opened a Deveiantart account under the name ReggieJWorkshop. **

**This is just to show you all what I do outside of writing fan fiction. Feel free to check that website to see some of my artwork if you ever have the time.**


	10. Chapter 9: The Ride Over

**Hey I'm back everyone. This chapter will have a little of what I like to call F&amp;F, Filler and Fluff. It's a little bit different from what I usually write, so I hope you enjoy either one.**

Chapter 9: The Ride Over/Next Stop El Paso

April 16th 5:04 PM

_Scratchensniff screamed as he sailed in the air. The shimmering ocean hundreds of feet below him.. These were two things Scratchensniff hated, heights and water. And yet just a few seconds ago, the Warners convinced him to jump. It was a sublime experience to free fall with the blowing wind and warm Caribbean heat. Off in a distance the Warner siblings appeared as tiny dots. All three of them slowly made their; way towards them. He desperately reached for each one._

"_Come on Scratchy, almost there!" Dot called out. Then in one quick snatch they were all in his arms._

"_Pull the cord! Pull the cord!" Wakko shouted over the windy noise. Scratchy did likewise and then the parachute deployed. All four of them sailed above the ocean._

"_Scratchy you did it! You conquered your fear!" Yakko cheered._

"_I did it! I did it!" Scratchy whooped. Wakko then took out a Kodiak camera on a bamboo stick. He stuck it out so the camera faced them._

"_Picture time!" Wakko exclaimed. They all smiled as the flash went off._

"_Im telling you Wakko, that thing will never catch on!" Dot commented. Wakko stuck his tongue out at her. At this point they were less than a hundred feet above the water_

"_How was that?" Yakko asked with a sly grin._

"_Whoo! Vonderful! Simply Vonderful!"_

"_Good cause uh…. Were about to land in the water, and its shark breeding season"_

"_Vhat?!" Suddenly a hole burst in the parachute. Everyone screamed as they all sailed towards the water._

"_Don't let go Scratchy, Don't let go!" The Warner siblings shouted. He continued to hold them tight._

"_I vont let go! I von't let go…!"_

"_Doctor! Doctor…" a female voice called out._

"I von't let go, I von't let go..." The psychiatrist tossed and turned in his sleep when something shook him awake. He quickly sat up. Nurse was sitting next to him.

"Doctor, are you alright?" She asked him. He darted his eyes towards her .Behind her, brown mountains sailed by in the window. They were in the back seat of another car.

"Oh it was just another dream. How far are we now?"

"About 1 hour away." She wiped her head.

"Oh good…" Both their heads were sweltering in the dry heat, despite the car's air conditioning. It felt like summer had come a few months early.

Everyone met up at the studio lot at 7 in the morning, and then they hit the road around 7:30. Because Plotz had no interest in riding the detectives damaged police cruiser again, he volunteered to let Lucky borrow one of his "cheap" cars, a gray six seater, Cadillac Brougham Limo. Despite its fading paint job and slightly worn seats, it ran perfectly fine.

For the most part, It had been a pretty uneventful l 11 hour ride down to El Paso. During the first leg of the trip, Lucky and Bonkers fought over what radio station to play before the radio's adjusting knob accidentally got ripped off. Then Bonkers took out his CD collection, playing music he personal didn't listen too, but he knew the Wanrers would have liked; The Dickies, Madness, and of course B 52's. And then that broke down as well. Plotz however didn't fuss as much as he normally would.

Scratchensniff looked down at his arms resting in his lap. The left hand was still a bit red from his encounter with Slim the other night.

I hope this isn't permanent" He rubbed it lightly. Nurse looked it over.

"Nope, after a soak in warm water, it should be back to normal by the end of the day" she gently massaged the top of his hand with her fingers. Earlier she had applied pain relief cream to help soothe the pain just a bit. "Hey, Thanks for what you did last night. I know it was out of your character to do that"

"It's No issue, he really upset you didn't he?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

Vell, you never had a problem when the Warner Brothers…"

"Doctor, Wakko and Yakko _were boys_. _Men_ on the hand should know better. Besides, at least the brothers were cute. I know you saw something odd with Slim last night. You had that look"

"Vhat do you mean?" he blinked.

"You know, the squinting eyes, the deep frown you used to have with the Wanrers early sessions. That look" Scratchensniff honestly didn't realize he had a 'look' when he dealt with the Warners. He also didn't realize she was actually paying attention to his sessions. But he ignored that thought and explained what he saw.

"Slim _was_ lying about not having paint thinner, that I am certain. I can't explain it, but I think he might be lying about some of the other things he said too.

"What tipped you off?"

"The body language, people who lie tend to give themselves away through body language. But as I watched him, I saw how quick he was when answered a few questions. Like his response to when Lucky asked if his store was closed, They were very quick and scripted."

"I saw that too!"

" But in the ones when he told the truth, he kept rolling his eyes to the ceiling, or he answered them a bit slower. But then, when Lucky asked about the other group that purchased the gasoline, he hesitated and then he ran.

You think there may something or somebody he knows that wants him to stay quiet?"

"Yes, that I am certain" The two of them sat together in silence. The mystery around Warners and the lab mice continued to get more complicated. Still there were so many questions that didn't have any definite answers. After several seconds, he asked the question he had been meaning to ask her last night.

"Why did you go in there alone?" She turned away.

"I wanted to see if Slim was in there, I wasn't going to talk to him" she replied quickly.

"Nurse, you don't have to keep things form me, I know there's more…

"I'm not…!"

So please tell me, why?" She paused a moment. Then she sighed.

"Cause I just, I just wanted to feel like I was really helping you for once. And I didn't think waiting outside would do that."

"But, you're already a big help Nurse, far more than me. I've been no help at all"

"That's not true! You came for me when thought I was in trouble, you held Slim long enough for Lucky and Bonkers to find us, and Slim. Scratchensniff you've been very helpful! And if Mr. Plotz actually bothered to listen to you he'd know that! "she gasped. He figured she wasn't intending on saying that last part. She wasn't exactly known for being outspoken.

"Nurse, I've worked with him for years, I'm used to not being listened to." He wished what he said matched how he felt. Maybe it was because he'd been with Plotz the longest he'd been more forgiving of his coarse and sometimes callous attitude. It sounded crazy, but he was starting to think Plotz wasn't as enthusiastic about this trip as he let on. And that was something Nurse already saw.

"Nurse, please no matter what you do, you're already a big help to me. But I don't want you throwing yourself in danger just for me." Nurse rested her head against the window and closed her eyes. Judging by her half smile, she didn't seem fully satisfied with that answer.

"Okay, Doctor. But really, I'll be fine. Besides we have a bodyguard on our hands." When she drifted off to sleep, Scratchensniff stared at the thick divider in front of him. Plotz and Ralph sat in the passenger seats ahead. He wondered if these things were really sound proof, he gently pried a tiny crack into the divider.

XXXX

Silence, sweet silence was all Plotz could hear as he stared out the window, well that and Ralph's light snoring. Up front, Lucky's eyes were glued to the road. Bonkers was busily trying to fix the CD player that thankfully broke hours ago. The stupid bobcat had accidentally jammed two discs into the player at once. Plotz was glad; He would have gone insane if he heard "Rock Lobster' or 'Yaketty Yak' one more time.

Lucky remained silent after he'd tried to pled for forgiveness for what happened last night, which Plotz quickly waved off. He didn't take kindly to Lucky trying to kiss up to him. That kind of tactic was reserved for masters like himself. The CEO was very glad these guys worked for peanuts, because he would have never allowed this if this were any other high paying detective.

Plotz was still wondering what happened last night. It was full of surprises. But probably the most surprising thing about whole night was Scratchensniff, spineless mild mannered Scratchensniff. He'd never think in a million years he'd actually blatantly disobey him, and take on a former criminal no less. Whatever it was, it helped find some of the answers they needed. They ended finding the one guy he wanted to find for himself. Maybe he shouldn't have been so hard on…

The snoring stopped. Ralph's eyes slowly blinked open. His flabby head turned towards him. Plotz had a feeling what was coming.

_Please don't talk to me, please don't talk…._

Boss…" he uttered groggily.

_Damn_

"What? What is it Ralph?" after what happened last night, he honestly thought the guard had nothing say. But he decided to hear him out anyway, no matter how stupid it would have sounded. He might as well; he was stuck sitting with him for the ride.

"I'm, sorry about what happened last night"

"Er, forget about it" Plotz replied briefly. In all truthfulness, Plotz knew he really didn't have to apologize. He did save his life, but he still disobeyed him. And he had to let Ralph understand the importance of that. A few more seconds of silence passed.

"Who was that guy you was talking last night?" Ralph broke the silence again. Plotz sat straight up at hearing this. He'd completely forgotten that Ralph had been spying on him from afar. He'd seen him talking to Globwobber. He wasn't sure how much did he see or hear until those goons came and ambushed him. And wasn't he sure wanted to know.

"He's, just some movie star…"

"Really? I've never seen him work on our lot"

"Hes, an upcoming star at a different studio"

"How many's movies he's been in?"

"Just one"

"Oh" The guard replied .What he told about Globwobber was half true, he _did _star as himself in one movie; "Tom and Jerry in the Fast and Furryous . But that film was far from star material in his opinion. "What was you guys talking about? I couldn't hear yous were saying" A small wave a relief came over, so he didn't know what was going on. That gave him a chance to cover up.

"Not much. Just small talk about the future of the movie business. We joked around, had a few drinks, that's it." He hoped it would be a good enough answer for Ralph to buy. A small smile on the guard's face confirmed that he did.

"He seemed like a nice guy" Ralph responded. Not wanting to talk about this anymore he quickly tried to change the subject.

"So uh, How's your son?" He hadn't thought about Ralph's son R.J since that Christmas Carol episode all those years ago. Ralph's eyebrow rose as he straightened up him his seat.

"Oh, he's all grown up and on his own now. Went to school at uh, dat school in Pennsylvania? Pencil Stake?"

"You mean Penn State?" Plotz groaned. He paused in realization. "Penn State?! That's wonderful!" It was one of the hardest schools to get in. Understandingly, the guard's smile beamed with pride.

"Yeah, He'll be finishing up there. Gee, I'm proud of him. I never even finished elementary school. "

_No surprise there_

"I bet your wife is plenty happy about that." Plotz answered.

"Oh she will- I mean would" he fumbled briefly. The smile began to dissipate.

"What do you mean 'would'? She's your wife right?" Ralph shifted uncomfortably. He stared down at the floor with a long face.

"Well, not no more" This bit of news caught Plotz off guard. Plotz remembered meting his wife years ago. He thought she was pretty nice lady, even though she was simple minded and looked like Ralph's drag queen double. And they both looked so happy together. It seemed very unlikely that they would ever split up.

"What happened?"

"She didn't like my job. Said it was too dangerous and not enough money. She said that I needed to find a better job somewhere else. And said she would go, if I decided to stay. I told her that you wouldn't steer us wrong. So I stayed, and then she…"

Plotz couldn't believe the insanity he was hearing. This explained a lot of his behavior in the past few months. He had given him a raise a few years back. But unless R.J. got a full ride scholarship, that meant most of what they had to pay had to come out their pockets, and Ralph barely had that much to cover that. Ralph was always good when came to loyalty, but not so much when it came to judgement. Plotz really didn't know what to say now; he wasn't used to giving employees advice.

"Well, sometimes things don't always work out with people you love." It sounded completely lousy as soon as he said it, but it was better than saying nothing.

"You think she may come back?" Plotz would have said no had it not been for the sullen look on his face.

"Oh sure, sure, In fact once this is all over she'll come running back. But don't be upset. You trusted your instincts, and stuck to your guns" Plotz responded, trying his best to sound upbeat.

"But Plotz, you never give me no gun!" Plotz actually chuckled at hearing that. It wasn't often Ralph did anything but piss him off. So to hear this was very refreshing.

"Do you really think well find the Warners boss?" Plotz was really getting uncomfortable with Ralph asking all these questions. Especially ones he didn't want to answer.

"Of course we will.

"We won't really lose our jobs if we don't, will we?" This would be hard to promise. He remembered how J.W Globwobber stated that most of the employees would be re-purposed. Scratchy and Nurse would fit in at the new studio just fine, but he doubted J.W. would be interested in any bumbling security guards. Neither him nor Ralph were really friends, but they always had a small amount of respect for another. Once this was all over, hed talk to J.W to make sure he'd have_ somewhere_ to work, Maybe a janitor or something like that. He could always find a way around a contract, he wouldn't have been in the business this long if he hadn't.

"Of course not Ralph. You'll still have a job" he answered. The guard's smile returned.

"That's why I likes you Plotz, you never go back on your word" Plotz cringed at how wrong he really was. Suddenly he felt really bad for how he treated him last night. . "So, why don't you like El Paso?"

"Who told you I didn't? Scratchy told you I bet! That bald head cannot keep a…!"

"No- Nos! I just saw how upset you looked when Bonkers mentioned it last night."

_He'd actually noticed…?_

"Lets just say, this place brings back some bad memories."

"How?"

"Forget about it! It's a long story".

"I likes stories! What is it?" Ralph leaned in closer.

"Nothing, look it's not something I'd like to talk about"

"It can't be that bad" Ralph prodded a finger into Plotz's side.

"It is, now leave it alone!"

"Come on Tell me me, Tell me, Tell me!" the burly guard grabbed him and shook him violently. Irritated Plotz wrestled him off.

"Alright, Alright! You want to know?"

"Uh huh Uh Huh!" Ralph nodded eagerly.

"Promise not to tell anyone what I told you?"

"Duh, Absolutely."

"Lucky? Bonkers?!" he bore a stern eye towards the front seats.

"Way ahead of you" Bonkers chirped as he adjusted a set of earmuffs on his head. He'd already done likewise for Lucky. Plotz cleared his breath before he started. And starting was always the easiest part. The only other person who knew this story was Scratchy, and that was several years ago.

"Well, Over 70 years ago, a few years before the Warners were created, Warner's Bros created a couple of supporting characters for couple of proposed Bosko cartoons. Two of them were a vaudeville couple; Esther an energetic fast talking piano player and his mild mannered spouse, a lady barmaid named Berry."

Plotz took out his wallet and pulled out an old black and white picture. On the picture was a human toon couple in a black and white photo. On the left was Esther in all black suit, and wild curly that would make Groucho Marx jealous. To the right was Berry pouring water in a glass with short black hair and big bright eyes. A third stout character twirled on his toes between them. Ralph pointed to him.

"Isn't that Bosko right there?"

"Yep, but when his popularity dwindled, any further plans with the characters were scrapped. Then the Great Depression hit. They were out of job without any place live, or anywhere to make money; they had no choice but go where jobs were available. The closest they could find was a struggling local circus in El Paso. Vaudeville was their shtick. At first, they had a place to stay, a paying job…" he took out another picture. It was Esther and Berry still in costume. Below them stood a pudgy kid who had to be no more than three. Despite his whimsical propeller spun hat, bright polo, and the large sand covered lollipop in hand, the boy had that familiar grumpy scowl. "…And of course a son."

"Gee he kinda looks…" Ralph paused, then he gasped. "That's you?!"

"Yep, that's me."

"Aww! You was a cute little boy! And you're just the same size then too!"

"Thanks, for that observation…" Plotz grumbled, his cheeks flushed red.

"So everything was okay den?"

"Not exactly, even though my parents worked 10 hours a day, we were always poor. Our run down small apartment was ready to fall apart. We were often singled out for being the only toons in town. Folks treated us like some sideline freak show. My parents couldn't talk to anybody without being harassed that they didn't sing and dance for them first. I got into fights with the neighborhood bullies every day..."

"Why would they do that?" Ralph asked. Plotz sighed. The guard's naivety could be really annoying sometimes.

"People always hate something they don't understand at first. Also, it was never quiet in our place. If it wasn't the racket from the nearby train station, it was from my parents. They would yell and argue in the middle of the night, about what, I never knew. But it got so bad they decided it was best to split up. My mother left our humble abode, and we never saw her again. It was just me and my dad now."

"What was your ma like?" The aged CEO mentally kicked himself for not instantly knowing this. But then again, he had to be about four when she left.

" Don't really remember much, beautiful, quiet, and a really good heart, but tick her off, she could scream like a banshee" Truth be told, these were more of his dad's memories rather than his own. And his dad rarely talked about her ever since they split up. Plotz put the picture away.

"My dad always told me '_theres a silver lining after every obstacle'_ And boy was he right. The big news came around 1935 when a want ad for toons was mailed out to my father. I still remember the day when my dad told me that our lives would change for the better. We were moving out of El Paso and straight to Hollywood. He would say "_Forget everything about this dead end town, Where were going is a place of opportunity!_' We packed our bags and left without a goodbye from our neighbors. And our lives were fine ever since" Plotz hoped to leave it at that, but he suspected Ralph was still anxious for more, sure enough…

"What was your pa like?" he asked. Plotz swallowed before he began. This was when the story started to become difficult to tell.

"Esther, was a lot of things, musically inclined, arrogant, high strung, demanding, and a huge control freak. But he was a dreamer, and a hell of a hard worker who loved the entertainment industry. In no time at all, he became the studios head recruiter. A few more years with the studio, he managed to move all the way up to CEO, the first toon to ever do so"

"Wow!"

HE took out another picture with just him and Esther. His father's hair had grayed and had traded in his old costume for a sharp dark gray suit. Next him was Plotz who was a lot older now with a black flattop and wearing the same suit his dad wore.

"You must have been really proud of him."

"You bet I was. I was even more proud when he let me work as an intern when I got old enough.

"What did yous guys get to do together?" Plotz nearly scoffed at hearing that.

"What else? Work! My dad always stressed the importance of hard work. He didn't have time for playing around. But, at least once a year we took out time see a movie at the old theater. You know who my dad's favorite actor was? The man of a thousand voices himself Mel Blanc! Now that man was good!"

"Better than Frank Welker?" Ralph blurted out. Plotz was actually surprised he knew about him.

"Well, let's not go that far; nothing can top Mr. Welker… But anyways, when my dad started to get old, he needed someone to take over for him. It was then I suggested that maybe one day I could run the studio for him. I had already become board member and gained a lot of knowledge since I started. Thought I was a definite shoe in."

"He said yes?"

"No, he didn't. It was at that moment I found out where I stood between us. A blunt as he always was, he simply told me '_It takes someone with experience and a lot of talent to do that, and I don't see that in you_'."

"Gee…"

"Oh it hurt, but I wasn't ready to take that sitting down. I'd be able to run Warner Bros if my dad didn't believe it or not. I may not have had talent, but I sure had an eye for it. I became a recruiter myself. Worked hard as I could, I made calls to anybody willing to listen, smoozed with any actor who had potential to hit the big time! And still, it was never enough for him!" He breathed as he lowered his voice.

"Things started to change after that, we got busier, my father started to get sick, we couldn't stand to work in the same room together, we talked to each other less and less. And the need for a CEO successor grew with each year. By this time, most of the board favored me because I was Esther's son, but also, I brought in results. After talking it over with them, we made a decision. It didn't even matter that my father already considered his secretary as a possible candidate. My father was overruled and was forced to retire, and I became the new Chairman of the Board. I never felt any happier in my life."

"Then my dad decided to go back to El Paso, he stopped by my new office. We said our goodbyes, and then he left too. And that was the last time I ever talked to him." Plotz remembered his words.

_Know what your most valuable assets are son, Goodbye._ Had he known that would be the last time he would speak to him, he wouldn't have said this.

_Get out Esther, you'll miss your flight_.

"Yeah, then what?" Ralph asked. Plotz almost wished it ended there.

"I got a call one night just a few weeks later. I found out he died in his sleep."

"What?"

"I made the mistake of going back to El Paso for the funereal. It was as if no time had passed since I left that place. Only a few people showed up. And those that did weren't happy to see me. Hardly anyone there really knew who my dad really was. It was as if his work meant nothing to anybody, except me. Despite our differences, I knew how special he was. I remembered what my dad had told me. _Forget everything about this dead end town, Where were going is a place of opportunity!_ And me being the impressionable son I was, I did just that. I never went back, Warner Bros studio has done well, ever since, and we all lived happily ever after, until today"

When Plotz finished telling his story, Ralph remained silent at first. He understood that this was a lot of information to take in.

" I- Is sorry to hear about that"

" Well that's life for you" Plotz grumbled.

"Thanks for telling me"

"Don't mention it, seriously"

_Thanks for listening._

"Oh I knows it's late, but I-I wanted to give you this." Ralph suddenly pulled a round wheel wrapped in foil from a hammer space in his pants pocket. He handed it to him. Plotz gingerly ripped the foil open and saw what was inside. Ralph's wife had always made these as presents to give to Ralph around Christmas. But from the looks of it, she didn't make this. A dark brown gooey mound piled with nuts and berries laid before him. It was a second worst thing he couldn't stand behind the Warners, fruitcake." Happy Birthday! Try it!"

Plotz couldn't believe that hed almost forgotten his own birthday. Then again, having your studio set ablaze kind of upstages that. And yet, Ralph didn't'. Now he really felt terrible. He pulled off a chunk of the cake and popped it his mouth. Maybe eating it would make him feel better. It was worse than he expected. The odd taste of nut shells and sweeteners nearly made him throw up. Green faced, he swallowed.

"What do ya think? I might have used too much cinnamon" Plotz nearly gagged as the fruitcake tried to force its way back up.

"Memorable…" A crackle over the cars sound system cut him off.

"Testing! Testing!" Bonkers blared into a microphone.

"What?!"Lucky called out.

"Testing!" he screeched. A squeal of feedback made everyone cry out. Plotz he remembered both them still had earmuffs on. He took them off for them.

"Sorry, Everyone! We've reached out destination! if you look to your left you will mountains and sand, sand, and more sand. And on to our right is El Paso!"

Sure enough, just beyond the horizon, there it was. Plotz gazed upon the city he hadn't visited in over 50 years. He was quickly taken a back at how big it was. High rises and highways replaced the stumpy brick buildings and smaller roads he was used to in the past. This place looked completely different from the one he knew. But he knew better than that. Looks can be deceiving.

Then he remembered the important reason why they were here to begin with. As much as he couldn't stand the thought of coming back here, He couldn't let his own personal gripes prevent the others from finding out what they needed to know.

XXXX

Meanwhile "Damn traffic!" Mr. Muguu grumbled. The bear was getting a headache from his head constantly bumping against the roof of the car the gang traveled in. His legs felt a bit squished sitting up front. Siba was in the driver seat, repeatedly honking the car horn as if it were a drum. He struggled to get into a faster lane.

" I told you, we needed a map." Lionel simply crossed his arms as he sat in the back seat.

"We been here before, we don't need no map!" Muguu spat back. "Sides, how many times have we got lost?"

"Once or twice at most chap. Were already 3 hours late" The bear muttered something foul under his breath as he continued staring out the window., trying his best not acknowledge his partners pensive comments. "At this rate the others have probably gone by the place by now…"

Then one lane over, a Cadillac Brougham Limo zipped by them. But what caught his attention was who was inside of it. Inside the first passenger seat, was the fat guard in the blue uniform.

"No… no they haven't" He bared his sharp teeth. Lionel sat straight up, banging his head on the roof.

"What?! You saw them?!" he rubbed his head.

"Well It wasn't the tooth fairy!"

"Lets go follow them!" Siba cackled as he began to swerve into the next lane. Muguu clamped his hand on the wheel to stop him.

"No, it will take them a moment to find out where the scrapyard is. If we're lucky we can beat them there before they do!" He beamed a malicious smile as the faded limo pulled further away from them. "Besides, I don't want to make strips out of that tub of lard just yet."

**Hope you enjoyed this one. I should have the next one up as soon as possible.**


	11. Chapter 10: Next Stop Mils and Notts

**I'm back again everyone! I meant to have this up yesterday but I had to do a lot of proofreading for this and the previous chapter. Here another chapter for you all! Thanks for continuing to show your support and following this story. It's always appreciated. Also, special thanks to WheresDaBeef for the latest review. Lets get on with it.**

* * *

Chapter 10: Next Stop Mils and Notts/ Scratchy's 1st clue.

6:00 PM

Scratchensniff stared out the towering buildings of downtown El Paso. Lucky took a scenic route through the city towards their destination.

"...And over here is the classic Plaza Theatre, and over there is the EL Paso Museum of Art … " Bonkers announced over the sound system, once again acting as a temporary tour guide.

It was almost as if the psychiatrist ventured into a whole new world. Sure the city didn't really look all that much different to Burbank aside form it's Tex Mex flair. But the striking feature was that there were hardly, any toons at all… save for a tiny few speckled in between. He counted at least three. But aside from that, nothing but regular, everyday humans. Scratchy knew that he and his gang stood out among the crowd. They looked like everyone else on the street, acted and talked like everyone else, except for the fact that they weren't real flesh and blood. As cliché as it sounded, he felt like a fish out of water.

The car stopped at a red light. Another car next to him rolled down its window. In the passenger seat, two girls probably in their teen years were signaling him to roll down his window. He rolled it down.

"Are you the doctor from Animaniacs?" one of them asked.

"Vhy…yes!" Scratcehnsniff responded politely, hiding his confusion. It wasn't often somebody asked him who he was. Then again it had been a long time since he'd been out of Burbank. He practically knew almost everyone there. One of the girls squealed and flipped out a cell phone.

"Can we take your picture real quick?" Before he had a chance to answer he heard a click. He barely had a chance to smile.

"Thanks!" they chirped as the light turned green. Both cars pulled off.

"Looks like you're not a total stranger here Scratchy." Nurse commented.

"You know, I never really considered myself a TV star, especially a popular one at that." He replied. He recalled back during the show's prime, a neat folder of fan mail would always be delivered to him after every month, whereas the Warners would get a full truckload almost every week.

"At least your fans are the nice kind. You wouldn't believe the kind of fans I get on the internet."

"How bad are they?"

"Let's just say they're the reason I 'Google'd myself only once." She shuddered.

"Goodnight Everybody" Scractehsniff muttered dryly.

"Scratchensniff!" He looked up at Mr. Plotz's irate face poking from behind his seat . Plotz had been (for the most part) quiet for the ride, so hearing that really caught him off guard… "Stop that, you're really creeping me out with that!"

"Sorry..." he apologized. Plotz mumbled something under his breath as he returned to his seat.

_I wonder if he ever considered the Warners to be a bad influence on me?_

"You know, this trip would have been a lot simpler if we flew." Lucky proposed.

"Please! And go through that nightmare known as airport security? " Plotz scoffed. "Besides they charge an arm and a leg just for first class!"

"Eh, thats true" Bonkers interjected. "And over there is the lovely San Janito Plaza..!" he resumed with the tour.

Everyone didn't do too much talking for the rest of the ride. Especially after Lucky snipped a clothes pin on Bonkers to shut him up. Several more minutes passed. It didn't take long at all to find the place they needed to go to. It was located on the other side of town at the edge of Frankin Mountains State Park. The car slowed to stop right in front of their destination. Mils and Notts didn't look all that impressive from afar. It was a single white building in front of mounds of scrap metal. A sole Chevy 67 Impala was the only car in the store's cracked parking lot. The paved walkway was lined with several wooden fence posts. The only other surrounding places were a gas station and a few apartments.

"Is this the place?" Ralph asked.

"This is it alright" Lucky answered . "Aright, Everyone out!"

Everyone got out of the car. Scratchensniff moaned when the dry heat beamed directly onto him. Had Wakko been here right now, he probably would've cooked an egg on his bald head, then probably ate it.

"Hmm, I expected this place to be a bit, bigger" Bonkers kicked at a loose post in the ground. Everyone followed the paved pathway straight towards the building.

Scratchy realized someone was missing. He stopped to look back at the car. Plotz had opened his door, but he still remained in his seat. He stared straight ahead. What was he thinking about?

"Mr. Plotz, aren't you coming?" he asked him. Plotz blinked and turned to him.

"Yeah I'm coming. Just adjusting to this damn heat" he took off his blue suit jacket that was understandably too hot for him. Scratchensiff swallowed a lump in his throat. The thing he was going to talk about next had to be tread lightly. The last time he tried to convince Plotz to talk about it, Plotz got angry and ordered him to never bring it up again. That was years ago.

"So… how does feel to be here?" he asked. Plotz narrowed his eyes at him.

"It's, warmer then I remember… he quipped dismissively.

" No I mean, how does it feel to be home...?" The CEO's expression darkened when he jumped out the car. He stuck a finger at his nose.

"Let's get something straight here….Just because you know this where I grew up in doesn't mean you can use your psychobabble on me!"

"But this your first time in over…"

"Is you guys coming?" Ralph called out just ahead of them.

"Were coming!" Scratchesniff replied. Plotz cursed under his breath after the guard turned back around.

"It doesn't matter how long it's been!" Plotz lowered his voice. "This is strictly a business trip, once we find out what we need, were out of here! This may be where I'm from, but it isn't home"

He briskly trudged past Scratchy. The psychiatrist sighed and decided not to press any further. He and Plotz fell in with rest of the group, Lucky and Bonkers leading up front. Lucky came forward and opened the building's screen door. A wave of refreshingly cool air confirmed this place was air conditioned. Slowly they filed inside. Scratchy nearly knocked over a few items from a nearby shelf. The store's interior was a stark contrast to its outer appearance. Despite being completely empty, it felt seriously crowded inside. Various items from car parts, to home improvement tools , to cleaning items were neatly stacked on metal shelves. Picture a smaller homely version of Home Depot.

"Hmm, a little dusting and this will be a shoe in to pass the daily inspection" Bonkers rubbed a bit dust off a nearby shelf.

"Who cares how it looks? We're not here to perform a health inspection" Lucky grumbled.

"Hello, Howdy ya'll" a stilted voiced spoke up. Everyone turned around. At the info desk was a lanky human toon dressed in a typical cowboy outfit. A mop of blond hair completely covered his eyes.

"How are you doing, my names Phil." The toon answered as if he'd rehearsed this a million times. He adjusted the red scarf on his scrawny neck. Lucky came up to the desk and held out his badge.

"This is Lucky Piquel of the Los Angles Toon Department. We need to speak with the store manager" Phil said nothing for a moment.

"Huh?"

"We need to speak with your store manager!" Lucky said a little louder." Phil turned his head to a side door at his left.

"Hey Gil!" another toon ran out the door. He looked completely identical to Phil except for the fact that he had a green scarf around his neck.

"What?"

"Do we have a manager here?"

"I don't know, we have a Sheriff"

"I don't need to speak with the sheriff!" Lucky cut in.

"You think the Sheriff knows what the manager is?" Gil pondered. Lucky buried a hand into his reddening face.

"I'm a cop! I don't need to-"

"Bill!" Phil and Gil called out. Another identical looking toon came out. Oddly enough, his entire body and clothing was light gray. All the coloring on him was completely washed out save for the blue scarf on his neck.

"_You_ know who the manager is?!"

"Yep" Bill replied.

"Oh thanks, can you tell me?" Lucky sighed in relief.

"You mean why the sheriff needs a manager?" He jumped back when Lucky pounded on the counter.

"I told you I don't need a…!"

"Now whoa! Hold on there!" A new voice answered in the back. It had a distinct Alabamian accent. Out the side door came a fat toon wolf. On His bright orange shirt was a name tag that read Sheriff. "What's all this hollerin about?" He beaned an irritated scowl at the identical triplets who quickly disappeared through the same door. "Darn Willie Brothers don't know how to help if their lives depended on it." Lucky buried his head into the counter.

"Please, tell me _you_ know where the manger is!" he pleaded. The wolf laughed as if it were a funny joke. "Do I know who the manger is?! Well of course I know! You're looking right at him." Scratchensniff paused for a moment to polish his glasses. He looked very familiar. It took a moment, but he finally recognized him. Bonkers leaped onto his head so he was at eye level with the wolf.

"Hey, aren't you from Robin Hood? Sheriff of Nottingham?" Bonkers spoke up before he could ask himself. A wide grin came across the wolf's furry face.

"Why I Sure am! And you is, no don't tell me! Tigger! no no Garfield..." Bonkers leaned into his face, his eyes bulging as he eagerly waited for him to figure it out.

"I give you a few hints, hyperactive toon cop, has a fat detective as a side kick, had a TV show that lasted 4 seasons…"

"Two seasons" Lucky faked a cough.

"Oh I remember now, I remember! Roger Rabbit!" The wolf snapped his fingers. Bonker's eager smile dissipated instantly.

"Close enough" he muttered.

"Didn't know they had toon sheriff's this far out." Plotz came forward. THe wolf blushed as he twiddled with his fingers.

"Ehh… Sheriff for me is more of a privilege than rather than a state of authority. Plus it sounded better on my resume."

"Of course" PLotz muttered in disdain.

"SO my friends, how can I help you? I've got everything you need from..."

"We don't need any supplies, Sheriff of Nottingham" Lucky stated.

"Please call me Sheriff or Notts, take your pick." The wolf corrected.

"Notts, all we want to ask is a few important questions. The welcoming smile slowly vanished away from the wolf's face.

"Now what might those be officer?"

"We found out a suspicious person has been in your store recently. A person by the name of Alameda Slim." Notts concerned expression remained in place.

"Well, I'm not quite sure who that is.." the wolf crossed his arms. He nearly jumped when Bonkers appeared from behind the counter and plopped a graduate cap on his head.

"Well let me educate you" Bonkers took over. "We think this guy is the reason the Warners and Pinky and the Brain disappeared"

"Is that right?" And what makes you so sure?"

"Elementary dear Notty, for a few things. We know the mice bought a lot of stuff from Slim at his old shop in Los Angles several months ago. But there's one thing that caught our eye in particular. Paint Thinner. Something that was found at both the crash site of the plane the Warners rode on, and at the remains of ACME labs.

"We had a chance to talk to Slim about this whole substation. And he said he didn't have any. But the label of the thinner we found in the lab proved otherwise." He pulled out the empty can from his hammer space. "See, courtesy of Slim Scrapyard and CO. "

NO offense, but does all of this have to do with me?' Notts asked as innocent as he could be. At least that's what Scratchensniff thought. His face barely changed at all. If he was lying too, he was doing a good job.

"We knew he had to have gotten it from somewhere..."

"And the closest spot is here." Lucky finished his sentence. "Your business card was in his jacket, and we think he may not be working alone. So we want to find out if he, or any other toons have come by here for paint thinner in the past year"

"Notts rubbed the stubble of loose hair under his chin, musing over everything he just heard.

"That's mighty sharp of you to consider that, but I don't think you'll find what you're looking for"

"I'll be the judge of that; you have any purchases on record?"

"Of course! Think I'm an animal like critter of some sorts?" Notts scoffed in offense.

"Technically…" Bonkers spoke up but quickly shut up when Plotz clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Wait here. I'll be right back." He disappeared back behind the door.

"You think he might be lying?" Nurse asked softly.

"I don't know. But at least he's cooperative than…" Lucky answered just as Sheriff retuned with two items under his shoulder. The first one he placed on the desk was a large white jug. It was slightly bigger than the one Bonkers pulled out. The label was bright orange and read "Thinner Courtesy of Notts and Mils Company."

"But that doesn't look anything like the one we found" Ralph blurted out

"Slim probably switched the labels when he sold them at his store" Lucky countered. "Check and see if they're there Bonkers" Bonkers gingerly flexed his figners before he grabbed hold of the old jug. Gently he peeled back the label. Then in one clean swipe, he peeled the rest of it off, clean off the jug. The old jug was completely bare. There was no label underneath.

"Nothing Lucky" Bonkers responded.

Notts dropped the second item he'd brought onto the counter. It was a thick three ring binder. He opened in about halfway though.

"Here. These are all the purchases paint thinner, strictly made by toons since we've opened. As you can see, we haven't had much." Lucky bent over the counter and carefully examined each individual date. There were only six. December 12 and 17 from last year, Sept ember 26, then June 5 and 6. But it was the earliest date that caught everyone's attention, March 16.

"Aha! So what happened here?!" Bonkers exclaimed. Notts pulled out a file from inside the binder.

"We had a really small group come by that day, bought at least 5 jugs of the stuff.

"Did they happen to mention what they were using it for?" Lucky cut in.

"No they didn't. Now I want you to look at this and tell me do you see the man you're looking for?"

Bonkers grabbed at the folder. His excited grin melted away after a few seconds. His orange face nearly paled at what he saw.

"Wait a minute, this can't be right!" he hastily flipped through the files. "They couldn't!" Scratchensniff grew concerned at hearing that. What did they see?

"Let me see…" Lucky looked over the folder as well. His expression soured as he shook his head. The portly cop grabbed hold of the binder and looked at the other dates... "Lockheed, Joes Paint ship, Slim's not in any of these."

Worried, Scratchensinff tried to see what was wrong. He couldn't really see with Lucky and Bonkers in the way. But he could tell from their frustrated grimaces that it wasn't good. He reached underneath Lucky's massive arm to grab the folder.

"You be careful with that!" Notts snapped. Scratcehsniff ignored him as he stared down at what laid before him. Everyone else's eyes widened with horror at what they saw. It was the last thing they wanted to see. Inside was a copy of the receipt. It was a purchase for 5 jugs of paint thinner. It was made out to Pinky and the Brain, and at the bottom were their signatures.

"No No! No! This can't be!' Scratchensniff quivered. His hands shook so much he nearly dropped the folder. He set it back on the counter. Notts shrugged as he placed the folder back inside the binder.

"No!" Nurse gasped.

"They really did do it?" Ralph exclaimed.

"That can't be right! Let me see that book, you must've looked at the wrong file!" Plotz lunged for the binder. Notts pulled it away before he could get it.

Sorry, the papers don't lie son" the wolf remarked. "Now, if ya'll ain't gonna buy anything, I suggest you get out." And with that he disappeared behind the side door. Bonkers clambered onto the bare counter.

"But those goons, the shoe, and knuckles…" his stammered, disappointment overtaking voice.

"Were just something to lure us away from the case" Lucky finished his sentence. Head hanging low, he rested a hand on Scratchensniff shoulder. "Dr. Scratchensniff… I'm so sorry." The psychiatrist gently pushed it away and looked at him.

"Don't be, you were right" he responded softly. Lucky's crestfallen expression remained in place. He stared at everyone around him. They had come so far just to find out this. "I- I need to be alone for a moment." Without another word he walked out the door.

Scratchensniff barely paid any attention to the where he was going. Despite the warm weather he felt a chilly breeze brush past his head. He wandered out back to the piles of scrapyard. Some of the piles towering well above his head. He plopped himself down near a mound of car tires. A small sigh came out . He couldn't believe this. The second day was almost over, and the only thing to show for it, was more incrementing evidence on the mice, and even less certainty on where the Warner trio were.

A few seconds later something else sat down next to him. He looked to his right. Bonkers hanging ears drooped towards the ground.

"Are you okay?" he asked Bonkers. The bobcat's ears perked up halfway.

"Course, I'm fine. It isn't the first time I've had bad luck on a case. But I'll get over it" Scratchensniff could understand how he felt. This was probably the first case he had in a while, only to find out the truth was not what he was hoping to be "Well it's still not over yet, we still have to find out how this ties in with the missing Warner's." he added, a bit of confidence regaining in his voice.

"Yes we could, but what help I would be?"

"What are you talking about" Bonkers stood up.

"I'm not a detective like you, I've haven't found any clues, I've haven't created an leads, I've been completely unhelpful these past two days."

"So? Everyone's got a bit of detective in them you just gotta find a way to bring it out. "Scratchensniff pulled out the picture from his hammer space. The Warner's smiled though the cracked frame. He put it back in.

"Just out of tiny curiosity, do you have the time?" Scratchy pulled out his cell phone.

"Its 6:25…" Bonkers stretched his head over the screen, blocking his view.

"Lot of apps on your phone, Contacts, Weather, Minecraft, Email, with two messages?" He paused for a moment. "Scratchensiff how often do you check your email?

"Not often, Vhy?"

"Maybe you should check it right now." Scratchensniff pressed the orange app. On the screen appeared two messages in bold print. The first one was a note form Christopher Walken. But second one nearly made his heart stop. In bold print it read Yakko Warner. And it was from yesterday.

_Oh God…_

Less than the second later he clicked on it. And up came the full message.

_"Heeeellllooo, Scratchensniff! If your not him, make sure our P-psychiatrist Dr. Scratchensniff gets this letter. This is yours truly, Yakko Warner here."_

His entire body jittered. He could almost hear Yakko saying that right to his face.

_"Oh and Wakko and Dot are here too I guess. Your probably wondering where we are and if were all right. Well, we can answer the second part as of right now. We're all okay and fine._ _It takes more than a plane crash to take us down"_

_But uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh… were sort of being held against our will and have no idea how to get out. We honestly thought we could get out months ago, but our new friends suggested we should stay a little longer. All we can tell you is this. Pinky and the Brain are here with us. We don't know where, but we know they are in just as big trouble as we are. Something big is about to happen here, and doesn't sound like a wrap party either. So if you can come find us that would be great._

_There are only three things we need, Some snacks for Wakko, he's been so hungry he's starting to eat drywall now. Says it has a nice salty flavor._

_Dot wants a mirror so she can get a good look at herself. Thinks looking her two handsome brothers is no longer a good substitute. But I digress. And if you can, bring Michael Phiffer_

_All jokes aside, Scratchy, if you're reading this, find us. Do everything you can. We don't care if you have to bore someone to death with your lectures in order to do it. We haven't given up you. Don't you dare give up on us._

_Sincerely, Yakko._

_P.S Seriously, get Michelle Pfeiffer_

Scratchensniff dropped the phone and leaned back against the pile. They were still alive. And they managed to contact him. They were okay, for now. And they were waiting on him. At this point he no longer cared about how useless he thought he was to this investigation. He remembered how disappointed they were when he refused to come to their wrap party that whole year ago. HE wasn't going to disappoint them again. This revelation was slightly undercut by Bonkers bursting into the air like a firecracker.

"Yee -yowsers! This is perfect! "Bonkers jumped for joy. " See I told you weren't worthless! You just found the most important clue we had this entire time! Lets go tell the others!" he grabbed hold of Scratchy's hand and dragged him through the maze of scrapyard piles. Suddenly he stopped. He started sniffing the air.

"Vhats wrong?" Scratchy asked

"Something smells funny, it smell s like home improvement work, smells like freshly applied paint." Scratcehnsniff gulped when he heard that.

_Didn't Ralph say… _

He yelped in pain as something massive and heavy clamped over his free hand. The ground started to pull away as he lost his grip on Bonkers hand. His feet dangled in the air. An enormous shadow lingered over Bonkers. Trembling and shaking, he pointed just over his shoulder. Scratchensniff turned around.

The face of a grungy looking grizzly bear sneered at him. He was just like Ralph described. Muscular with shiny fur, with plaid clothes, and a grimy green Mohawk.

"Didn't anyone tell you it's dangerous to play in scrapyards?" He remarked teasingly. " You might get hurt" Scratchy winced when the grip around his hand tightened.

"Are you, Mr Muguu?" Scratchy strained, trying to ignore the pain. The bear let out a wide grin, exposing his sharp crooked teeth.

"That's right. Ralph told you huh? Now what are you doing here?"

He looked at the top of Muguu's head and suddenly felt something hot rise up inside him again. After everything that happened, he was no longer upset, distraught, or confused. He was angry. Even though it was torn and faded with grime. Scratchy recognized it as the gift he handmade for Wakko's birthday three years. On top of Muguu's head, was Wakko's red hat. Muguu rolled his eyes upward to see what he was looking at. He gave him a sickening smirk.

"Like it? Wakko let me have it." And then Scratchensniff lunged for the bear's face.

"Scratchensniff…!" Bonkers shout faded over Muguu 's guttural snarl.

"Let go of me you little cue ball!" the bear growl as he wildly thrashed about. Scratchensniff's hand latched onto the rim of Wakko hat as Muguu bucked and roared to shake off him off. He was honestly surprised his glasses hadn't fallen off at point. He wasn't sure why he thought this was a good idea. Maybe it was the sentimental attachment the hat held, or it could have the fact that this guy knew where the Warners were all this time, and he'd hurt them. His bald head slammed against a nearby metal sheet, causing him to see stars for a moment. Now was not the time for analyzing.

"Scratchy, grab my hand!" he could hear the bobcat within the confusion. Although it took a lot of focus, he could make out his gloved white hand in the violent swishes of color. He grabbed on. Suddenly the ground came to underneath him. The bucking stopped and his muscles tensed up.

He looked up to see Bonkers grabbing on to him with both hands. He feet digging into the ground. Then he looked over his shoulder to see Muguu arched back, firmly planting both of his furry paws on the hat. Scratchy strained as he struggled to hang on. All the muscles in his arms felt like they were being stretched like rubber. It was most painful match of tug of war he'd ever been.

"Get off Get off Get off!" Muguu growled. Suddenly, Scratchy felt something rip and immediately give way. He went flying and crashed right into Bonkers. Piles of cans and trash fell on top of him. Something pulled away at the rubble.

"Scratchy, Scratchy! Are you alright?!" Bonkers spouted worriedly. Dazed but not dead, the psychiatrist he slowly got off the ground.

"Yes, I am fine, thanks" He looked down at his hands. Wakko's hat was safely back in his grasp. But so was something else. In the back of Wakko hat was as clump of green hair sticking out"Oh no…"

A low groan from behind them roused his attention. Muguu had one knee to the ground as he held onto his head. He felt the bald spot on top his head where only a few stands of green hair remained. His eyed widened in stunning realization. He bared his sharp fans.

"You know, that's a much better look for you" Bonkers chuckled nervously.

"You gonna _really_ wish you hadn't done tha-"Something large and heavy slammed into him and tackled him to the ground. His timing was impeccable. Although his back was to them, they instantly recognized him by the pale green shirt.

"Lucky!" Bonkers exclaimed.

"Oh thank you, you really…" Scratchensniff began to thank him.

"Don't thank me yet." Lucky forced the bear to the ground with both arms pressed into his back. "Stay down! Your under arrest for assisting in the kidnapping of the Warners!" Bonkers slipped in and restrained him with handcuffs. Scratchensniff got on his feet, putting the hat inside his hammer space.

"Hope you don't mind staying around for a bit of Q&amp;A" Bonkers proudly rested a foot onto his back. Muguu started to chuckle, it was very low chuckle that sent chills up his spine.

"You detectives think you know everything don't you" the bear muttered.

"Of course! Why wouldn't we?"

"You know last time I checked, there are rules about off duty toon cops" All three of them froze when he said that. How did he know they were off duty cops?

"Yeah, like how we still have authority to bring suspicious people like you in?" Lucky remarked,, trying ignore his concern.

"In _state _you are, but out here, you have to abide by the law as any normal civilian. And let me guess where are you flatfoots are from, Los Angles perhaps?" Lucky's face dropped at hearing that.

"Right" he croaked. Suddenly the bear bucked Lucky off his back.

"That makes you two, fresh meat." In one swift motion, he cracked the cuffs. Before Lucky had time to react, Muguu had slipped underneath his body and grabbed him by the shoulder. The portly cop wailed as the bear hurled him into the air. He crashed into a tall scrap pile several yards away.

" Im fine, ouch…" he called out.

"Lucky!" Bonkers shouted. He stared up at Muguu, an intense glare in his eyes. Slowly he marched towards him. The bear flexed his fingers. "Scratchy, Go warn the others! Now!"

"I cant leave you here!" Scratchensniff protested. Bonkers looked back, his face softening for a moment.

"Ill be fine! Trust me! Just go"

Despite his disapproval, he did as told and ran back towards the building. Not far behind he could still hear Muguu's growling.

XXXX

"Sheriff! Notts whoever you are! Open this door!" PLotz yelled. Nurse didn't know why he bothered. He'd been banging at the back door at the past few minutes demanding Notts to answer a few more questions. And the wolf still hadn't come out. On top of that Scratchensniff,still hadn't came back inside. Even though Bonkers and Lucky went out to go check on him, she was getting very concerned. Ralph kicked at a random pebble in the floor.

"What do wes do now?" he asked. She really wasn't sure at this point, they couldn't just go back home. But it didn't seem like there was anything else they could find out here either. Even though the information they found basically painted the mice in the guilty party, Something still didn't seem right. She opened her mouth to respond when something else caught her attention. It was the the acrid smell of fresh wall paint.

"I don't kn- Wait Ralph, do you smell that ?" she sniffed. Ralph sniffed the air as well.

" Yeah I d…"His eyes widened with horror.. "Theys here!"

Before she could ask what he meant by that, a loud creak from the front door got her attention. Scratchensniff burst through the door, sweat beading from his head and scuff marks all over his sweater.

"Scratchensniff? What happened?!" Nurse remarked.

"We have to get out here now!" the psychiatrist breathed.

"Not until I get my answer from Notts here!" Plotz barked at him.

"Plotz please, They're after us!"

"Whose they? Who!" A loud slam from the front door made her jump. A click followed a second later. It wasn't from Scratchensiff. Someone else's meaty hand had pushed the door shut. It was deathly quiet inside, save for the jukebox playing Latino music in the background. She and the others looked at intruder before them.

Although he was beefy and shaggy haired, he had an admittedly stylish red suit complete with a black cummerbund and top hat. His shiny shoes began to tap to the mid-tempo music in the background.

"Ever bothered to stop and listen what plays inside your store...?" she was slightly taken off guard by his distinguished voice. "You hear the most wonderful things." He danced past Scratchensniff and right towards her. She'd taken enough Latin dance classes to recognize his dance as the rhumba.

"Care to join? It takes two to tango." He held out his hand. A coy grin on his face.

"I'll pass" she uttered defiantly. Surprisingly though, the man actually complied and stepped back.

"Very well then, Siba?" He snapped his fingers. Something loose and rubbery shot out of his shirt sleeve and wrapped around her waistline. It was brown and furry. It got tighter and tighter the more she tried to loosen it. It curled around her arms. She gasped when she looked down. The creature's ferret like face looked up at her with beady yellow eyes.

"Notts get out here now, Please!"Plotz banged on the door some more. The side door finally opened. "Now that's more like gah…!" He jumped back when a burly grizzly bear in plaid clothes came out the door. Plotz scampered away from the door and right behind Ralph who was already trembling with fear.

"Yeah, Notts decided to close early today." The bear answered casually. Just as he said that, she heard a revving of an engine from the outside. Through a window she could make out the Chevy she saw earlier, speeding out of the driveway. And Notts was inside.

"What have you done with Lucky and Bonkers?!"' Scratchy demanded as he struggled to open the door. The bear shoved him to the ground with one of his massive paws. The shaggy haired toon then grabbed him by the back of his sweater.

"Doctor...!" Nurse strained against Siba's tightening grip.

"None of your business, so let's just calm down have a nice little chat." The bear uttered as he sat on top of the counter.

This was _fantastic,_ Nurse thought. The door was locked. The store manager had abandoned them. And the goons they were trying to catch, caught them instead. They were trapped.

**Hate to leave you all in suspense again. Thanks for reading, I should have another chapter up soon. Happy Memorial Day!**


	12. Chapter 11: Confrontation, Chase

**A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you guys are having a great summer. As usual, work and real life got in the way again. Plus I've lost count at how many times I rewrote this chapter. I'm still not 100% satisfied with it, but that's probably the perfectionist in me talking. Hope you guys like the new chapter I put up for you all. A lot stuff is going to happen here so sit tight!**

* * *

Chapter 11: Confrontation, Chase, Confession

6:30 PM

Ralph struggled to keep his breathing steady. He could feel his boss clinging to the back of his shirt. A few soft grunts came from Scratchensniff and Nurse as they desperately tried to escape the kidnappers grip on them. It was deathly quiet except for the light thumps of Mr. Muguu's aimlessly strolling feet, and the jukebox in the far corner. For some reason the bright, sounds of Santana didn't sit well with the situation at hand. The bear turned it off.

"Music hater, I was enjoying that." Lionel muttered

"So… the gang's all here! Isn't this a peach?" he gloated. These were last toons Ralph wanted to run into right now, but yet here they were. How did they find them? Muguu cocked his head towards him. "Ralph, I thought you would have given us a friendlier introduction to your pals" he remarked with faux offense. For some reason seeing him calm was making him more nervous than when he was angry. The bear rubbed the top his head, it was completely bald except for a few strands. "Well no harm, my name is Mr. Muguu." Ralph looked over his shoulder.

"Lionel" the burly toon greeted. "Pleasure to me you all." Scratchensniff glared at Muguu while Lionel continued to grab the back of shirt with feigned indifference. He jolted and struggled to free himself from his grip. Ralph had never seen the psychiatrist this angry before. Next to him, Nurse was on her knees as Siba continued to wrap around her body like a boa constrictor.

"Siba!" The furry snake like critter creaked. Siba bore his bulbous eyes at her face. Then he gaped his drooling mouth as he leaned towards her cleavage. Using her remaining free arm, she slapped him upside side the head causing it bobble up and down. A sharp moan creaked out as he wrapped his tail around said arm, leaving her completely immobile. Furious, Ralph charged towards them.

"You leaves them alone! Gah..!" Not a moment after he moved something tugged his foot, causing him to hit the floor face first. A few cackles came after the impact. The floor began to pull away till he no longer touched the ground. Out of the corner of his eye he could see an upside down Muguu tying his shoelaces to the base of a ceiling fan. Ralph strained every muscles in body to free himself, but no luck.

"Let me see your brass knuckle" he heard Muguu utter.

"Please, you already lost yours. You're not losing mine!" Lionel scoffed.

"But you barely even use…! Oh forget it, Iv'e been waiting to do this all day." Muguu relished deviously. Before Ralph could wonder what he meant by that, a sharp blow rocked his side. It was hard and quick. A brief yelp came out. His massive body swung in different directions. It actually hurt a lot more than any anvil the Warner's dropped on him. "That was for the sucker punch in the kitchen!" the bear growled. Another punch landed, this time it was in his stomach. It nearly knocked the wind out of him. "And this…!" Ralph could barely hear him as he helplessly hung like a side of beef. Another punch landed on his face. His vision began to blur and fade. He fought back the urge to lose his lunch. Muguu's fist arched back for another round. He closed his eyes. This next one would really hurt.

"And this was for being a fat…"

"Stop! Stop!" he heard his boss's voice yell out. The next punch never came. He opened his eyes, Plotz was standing in between him and the bear. A quick moan of relief came out. But his relief turned to worry knowing that now Plotz was in danger too.

"Im ordering you to stop!" Plotz pointed his finger at the bear. Muguu arched back in astonishment before letting out another smirk.

"You order me?" he sniffed. "Sorry, but your cop buddies aren't bailing you out this time. And your body_guard_'s a body _bag!" _Ralph winced at how true that statement was. His pals were in trouble and here he was hanging by his shoelaces. He hated that he felt so helpless.

"Vhat have you done with the Varners?!" Scratchensniff yelled out.

"Why are you doing all of this?! This is cruel and inhumane!" Nurse wailed.

"Yeah, them Warners aint done nothing to you!" Ralph himself added.

"Look chap, it's not what the Warner's have done to us, it's that we need something from them to get what _we_ want." Lionel explained a matter of factly.

"What is it that you want? Money?!" Plotz snapped. He pulled out several bills from his pocket and hurled them at Muguu. "Here! I've got plenty!"

"It isn't money we want Plotz…" Muguu answered. The CEO's face dropped.

"H-How did you know my name?!" Plotz gasped. Ralph felt Muguu land a paw on his side, the one he had just punched.

"Your boy Ralph here told us all about you last night." Lionel interjected.

"He's really convinced you wouldn't dump him and those other chumps as soon as you found another way to save the studio." Muguu added smugly.

"W- What?! Of course not! You think you can come here, threaten me and defile my integrity?! " Plotz responded furiously, his arms shaking. Ralph nodded his head in agreement.

_Of course he wouldn't._

"I don't think so." Lionel sneered "You really don't sound very honest to me. Tell me Ralph, do you think Plotz is being honest?"

"Oh course I dos!" Ralph exclaimed truthfully. He didn't know why Lionel couldn't see that. Plotz wouldn't have come along if he didn't want to, right? He could see the shaggy haired toon staring across the room, a smile on his face. Then he remembered he was still upside down.

"Typical, what about you Nurse?" Lionel rolled his eyes. He looked at Nurse next her. Her answer was muffled by Siba's tail wrapping around face. "Forget it, the only response I'm interested in hearing is just from this chap." he looked down at his captive. "What's your name sir?"

" Dr. S-Scratchensniff" the psychiatrist croaked.

"Well, Dr. Scratchensniff, Do you think Mr. Plotz is being honest?"

XXXX

Scratchensiff shivered at hearing Lionel call his name. He wasn't sure if this was a question he wanted to answer.

"Why do you ask?" he whispered. Lionel let go of him. He gingerly touched his sore neck. Suddenly the toons ugly mug was staring right at his face, his dark green eyes bore into his.

"Because you're a psychiatrist, you know how to read people." His voice lowered. "Now, give me an answer" This toon was nowhere near as massive as Muguu, but he still was just as intimidating. Scratchensniff stared at the floor as he fought the urge to say. He stared at Nurse who struggled in vain to get Siba off her. She gave a knowing nod towards him. Scratchtensniff was getting really worried that she be crushed.

"What are you waiting for?! Say something!" Plotz cried out. He watched his boss fiddled with his hands. He couldn't ignore Plotz's unusual behavior since last night. But his job was to analyze and help people, not condemn and interrogate them. Then again, Plotz _did_ wante to investigate with Slim alone, and Plotz _did_ constantly try to speak on behalf of the team. But he did not want to give this, whatever he was, the satisfaction of proving him right. Finally, he got the nerve give a calm response.

"Plotz hasn't provided enough evidence for me to really say"

"See? He can't disprove it! Cause it isn't true!" Plotz gloated. He could tell on the CEO's nervous smile that he wasn't fully confident with his answer. Muguu rolled his eyes. Lionel's brow lowered at hearing that.

"Let me assist you then chap" he muttered. He looked up at Muguu. "Search him"

"Gladly" The bear flexed his fingers and picked up Plotz by his feet. He carelessly dangled him in the air, shaking him like a ragdoll.

"H-hey-yyy, what are you do-oing?!"Plotz blubbered when various items fell out if him; dollar bills, coins, credit cards, 2 gold blocks, and finally a sheet of paper.

"Leave him alone!" Ralph called out. A light kick in the head was given to him. "Ow!"

"Shut up" Muguu replied. Lionel bent down and picked up the piece of paper. A coy grin stretched on his face. Plotz's eyes widned as he desperately reached for it.

"Give it! Don't read it!" he wailed.

"Ohh, why not? Is there something wrong with it?" Lionel looked up with a sly grin.

"Yes, I-! I mean no!" Plotz stammered. Muguu looked over at the document in Lionel's hands. He let out a toothy grin.

"Oh this is rich!" Muguu laughed. "When were you going to tell the gang about this? Never?!"

"Tell us what, Plotz what's he talking about?" Scratchensniff asked.

"What, is it?" Nurse said breathlessly, her mouth breaching just above a tight coil Siba wrapped around her neck.

"It's nothing!" Plotz quickly responded.

"Oh it's just a contract signed by a mister JW Globwobbler, CEO of Globwobbler studios. A lucky stiff who happened to meet Plotz."

_A contract? When did Plotz have time to sign a contract?_

"You remember seeing him, don't you Ralph?"

"But, But, he said he was an actor!" Ralph responded. His voice breaking a bit.

"He is!" said Plotz

"And look at the date, April 15 last night." Muguu coyly responded. Scratchensniff's muscles tensed up. His heart sank a bit after hearing the date.

_He didn't, he wouldn't have…_

"Plotz, what did you _really_ do last night?" Lionel pressed on. Plotz fumbled to say something. The aging CEO shook as everyone expected an answer that didn't come. Muguu patted a comforting hand paw on his head.

"Ah, it's okay" he pulled out an orange mask from his hammer space. "You can tell us back at our place" he snapped them on his face. Then he pulled out some gloves and slipped them on as well. Lionel did likewise for himself and put some on for Siba. Siba finally loosened his grip on Nurse and slithered away.

"Nurse…!" Scratchy ran over to her just as she collapsed on the floor. Although she had red marks on her arms and legs, thankfully she was still breathing.

"Im… fine." she breathed heavily. She looked up, her faced widened with horror. Scratchensniff looked up towards her direction and instantly knew why. In Muguu's hands was the paint thinner jug Notts pulled out earlier, he'd opened off the top.

"Hold your breath! Try not to breathe it in!" Nurse called out before she started to cough. The foul indescribable aroma kicked in quickly. Scratchy shook his head and rubbed his nose. His nostrils felt like they were practically on fire. He pressed the bottom of his collar to his face to block the smell, no avail. The others were doing no better. Plotz had one knee to the ground as he violently hacked and coughed everywhere. Ralph's bound body twitched and turned. He scrunched his nose, his eyes starting to water. Scratchy nearly stumbled as a made his way towards a window; he had to get rid of that smell. Something shoved him to the ground before he could do it. A foot planted itself on his back. Ignoring the pain he looked up. Muguu stood above him, dangling the open jug over his head, the stinging smell was even worse. His vision started to ripple and blur in the corner of his eyes.

"Don't worry guys, this just make the ride home a bit easier…" Muguu spat coldly. Scratchy could almost see the malicious glint in his eyes, hidden behind that ghoulish orange mask.

Crash!

An explosion of wood and cheap merchandise rocked the entire store. Muguu disappeared within a hazy cloud of plaster dust. Scratchy coughed as he struggled to move underneath the fallen debris. He removed a loose shelf that had fallen on his legs. Sunlight and fresh air welcomed its way into the room. When the dust cleared, he could make the scene. To his left was piled up mess of broken merchandise and plaster. Underneath was brown paw, a pale hand, and brown tail. Ralph, who no longer hung in the air and Plotz dizzily, lay on top of the rubble. Beyond them, Nurse was sprawled on the floor, rubbing her head. A dented paint can was right next to her. To Scratchy's right, he was face to face with the grill of a Cadillac Brougham Limo. He looked up at the car's window. It was second time he was happy to see these guys.

"I told you that wasn't the reverse! Lucky yelled on the passenger side. He had a noticeable black eye and a nasty lump on his head.

"Honest mistake!" Bonkers called. His fur was completely ruffled; one of his long ears was bent at a sharp angle. "Get in!"

Everyone did as told as they scrambled to get on their feet, doing their best to avoid the broken glass and sharp wood. When Scratchy got on his feet, he realized the smell was still here. Although it wasn't as strong as before, he could still smell it. He looked down in shock. Off in far corner, the jug of paint thinner had spilled onto the floor. A large puddle had formed, sending smaller section out in different directions. A small segment was slowly inching towards Nurses hand as she was getting up.

"Vatch out!" he snatched her hand away from puddle. Nurse gasped and gave Scratchy a thankful nod. She got back on her feet and trotted off to the car, her feet wobbling a bit with each step. Scratchensniff followed closely behind, his vision starting to blur again. Something was terribly wrong. Suddenly he felt a growing pain in his arm. He lifted up arm and griped in pain. Paint thinner had spilled onto his sweater sleeve and was soaking into his arm. It felt like thousands of needles were pricking his arm at once.

Come on!" Plotz's voice shouted. Scratchy ignored the pain and kept moving. Then his entire arm went numb. His vision was slowly blending into a void of multicolored swirls. The muscles in his body felt hard and heavy. He barely noticed Nurse holding his arms as she pulled him into the car. The numbness has spread up to his chest and his other arm. A faint car door slam was heard. Then the revving of an engine. A wave of relief came over him, they were safe for now. By now the numbness spread to his entire body. He could no longer feel anything as he laid his head on the window.

The last thing he could see was a bright swirl of blond hair yelling at him.

"Scratchensniff, stay awake…!"

XXXX

"Stay with me Doctor! !"

Nurse looked on in horror as Scratchensniff slumped down on the back seat of the moving car. She pulled her hands back to avoid the massive spill on his arm. Although she was prepared for an emergency, she didn't think it would happen so soon.

"Dah, is he alright?" Ralph looked back at them. Mr. Plotz did likewise.

"What happened?!" His voice shivering with concern.

"It's the thinner! He got splashed." She replied, pulling a small first aid kit out of her hammer space "He needs medical attention!"

"There's no time, we have to get out of here!" Plotz pulled at his gray hairs.

"Not true" Lucky called out from the very front. "As long as we don't any more bad news, we'll be fine."

"Uhh, would that be bad news?" Ralph nervously stuck his head out the window. There was a roar of a rumbling engine. Nurse rolled down her window and saw what he was looking at. It was an enormous dark green jeep with all terrain wheels, tailing right behind them. And in the tinted front view mirror, were Mr. Muguu and the gang.

"Oh sh…Step on it!" Lucky snapped.

"But Lucky, you always say to follow the speed limit…" Bonkers began to explain.

"Screw the speed limit! Just Drive!"

"Veeery well then!" Bonkers slammed on the gas and swerved off the road. The wheels rocked and rumbled over the sandy and bumpy ground. The goons in the jeep stayed right behind them. Everyone lurched back and forth.

Nurse nearly somersaulted in the backseat, as she hadn't buckled herself in. Scratchy's unconscious bald noggin nearly head-butted her by mistake. Nurse looked down and grabbed hold of his head to keep him steady. She reached for the first aid kit which had fallen on the floor. Ignoring her beating heart, she opened it and put on a pair of white gloves. This would have to be done quick, if there one thing she learned from working with several paint thinner victims, it was this: the longer a toon remains in direct contact with thinner, the worse the damage will be. Some toons never regained their color, others were blinded, and some were left partially paralyzed. She couldn't let that happen to Scratchy, not after everything that's happened. All she had to do was ignore the fact that she was in a speeding car, off road, being chased by goons that may try to kill her. Simple right?

_Just block out everything else, block it out…_

Out of the kit came a small pair of scissors. She lifted his arm and quickly snipped away at the top of his sweater sleeve. A hard bump nearly made her stab him by mistake.

"Watch it Bonkers! You might hit someone!" Lucky barked.

Don't worry, Francis State Park is closed today!" Bonkers replied. "Imma lose them behind these boulders." Another hard swerve nearly made her lose focus. The deafening engine lowered in volume The jeep pulled further behind, but it still stayed on them. Nurse hoped she hadn't pricked Scratchy too hard. Slower this time, she continued to cut off the rest of the sleeve.

_Block it out…_

She finished the cut. Gently, she pricked a dry edge of the sleeve and pulled it off his arm. The soaked sleeve was tossed out the window. Now she could easily look at the damage on his arm.

"Oh God…" The burn was just as bad a she thought. The thinner had left a grayed out stain on his arm. All the color had been completely washed out. Luckily this burn didn't look like would be permanent. It would be weeks before it would return to normal. Out of the kit came a bottle of water and a roll of bandage wrap. For now, the best thing she could do was splash water on the burn, and wrap it up with a bandage. Then she remembered the grayed out clerk, Phil working at the store. Could he have been splashed by thinner too?

"Will he pull through?" Plotz answered softly. She hadn't realized he and Ralph were helplessly watching her. She couldn't blame them. None of them were used to dealing with something like this often, especially when it was a fellow coworker.

"Yes, he will" she sighed..

"Did we lose them?" I don't see the jeep" Ralph looked out the window. Sure enough, it was gone. The ground had leveled out a bit now. A steep hillside was coming up on their left. An odd growling made her arch an eyebrow. Looking up, she realized it was coming from Ralph rubbing his stomach.

"Gah! Im gonna really toss my cookies" the green faced guard moaned.

"Agh! Well don't toss em on me!" Plotz exclaimed pressing a hand against Ralph's mouth.

"Well you guys seem okay, mostly" said Nurse. "What about you guys?" she looked at the detectives up ahead. Both of them looked back. "You two look pretty banged up yourself.

"Were peachy keen! It takes more than a few roughhouses to take us out!" Bonkers stated proudly. He quickly put his eyes back on the road.

"Damn right, We're more concerned about your friend Scratchensniff "said Lucky. Nurse was starting to like this guy. _Starting _to_._ Even though he was blunt, he and his friend always pulled through at any cost. "Bonkers told me he found the most important clue all day"

"Scratchy did?" Plotz gripped the front seat upholstery

"Is it the where the Wanrers have been taken?" Ralph asked.

"Is it Pinky and the Brains innocence?" Nurse added. Bonkers let a cheery laugh.

"That and more!" said Bonkers "I think we got this whole mystery wrapped… "His cheerful face disappeared when he glanced in the rearview mirror "Lucky, you hear anything?" Lucky looked outside.

"Nope, I… Wait a minute" She joined the others and looked out too. A low rumble came, but the jeep was nowhere in sight. It didn't look they were still tailing them from behind, and they definitely hadn't pulled up ahead of them. So where would they go? The rumbling got louder. She looked in the window on her right. Nothing. By now the base of the hillside was right next to them.

_Oh no…_

When she looked to her left, her worst fear came true. It came from the top of the hill. Just a few feet above them, the jeep barreled down upon them, the wheels barely touching the ground. Everyone could do nothing but scream when the 2 ton jeep rammed head on into the car's side.

Nurse's head slammed into the other window. Glass shattered on her cheeks. She could faintly hear the screams and breaking metal swirl around her head. Several thuds pounded at her flailing body. Finally it stopped. Dazed and out of focus, she felt suspended in the air. The only thing she could really focus on was a few faint voices and her own breathing. A few moments later, she could smell something, but it wasn't gas. It was something just as bad. When she realized what really was, it was too late. Everything went black.

XXXX

Muguu closed the cap of paint thinner and wiped beads of sweat off his bald head. He took off the mask and gloves he put on earlier. He trudged back to his jeep. Carefully, his bare feet stepped around any stray shards of glass or metal on the ground. The hood of their jeep crumpled up against their cracked windshield. But that was the worst of it. The Limo behind him was a different story. It laid upside down on its crinkled hood. The gray exterior was dented and dinked after the car's 5th turnover. A few of its wheels had fallen off and rolled away. He could still hear brief moans from inside. They were still alive. Not that he cared; toons_ can_ take lots damage. They brought this on themselves.

The psychiatrist was the first person he pulled out. Muguu wished this pest wasn't unconscious, he really wanted to rattle him some more. He carefully searched the psychiatrist's pockets. It had to be in there somewhere. Finally he felt the worn fabric. Out of his side pocket came Wakko's hat, which was technically his now. Back on top of his head it went.

One by one Lionel and Siba carelessly pulled the others out of the car, laying them haphazardly on the ground. It took the two of them together to drag Ralph and the fat cop out of the car. They dropped some the heavy cargo right on top of the psychiatrist. The toon's rail thin body disappeared underneath Ralph's guild. Muguu suppressed an urge to chuckle when his cell phone rung. He answered it.

"Hello?"

"_Give me an update"._ His boss answered. Muguu rested an arm against the Jeep's damaged hood.

"We got em. All of them"

"_Good Go-What do mean all?"_

The detectives, Mr. Plotz, that guard that ruined us last night, and two other guys…"

"_What?! Why'd you get them you idiot?!"_ he yelled

"Wha-What's wrong?" Muguu flinched. Lionel and Siba as usual began to laugh at his sudden speech impediment. Muguu ignored their chuckling.

"_It's just the detectives I want! The last thing we need is a missing CEO and few coworkers stirring up more media attention!" _

"What if they call the police?" even though he honestly was less concerned about that and more concerned that he couldn't bring his punching bag Ralph along.

"_Muguu its El Paso! What cops do you know that are going to believe a bear, man, and a snake followed them on a high speed chase_?" Muguu paused for a moment after hearing that. Then it hit him.

"The ones w-we have?"

"_Exactly. Just leave the others there and take off! It's almost time…"_

His boss hung on him. Muguu looked down at the detectives who nearly busted them. The bobcat didn't look so obnoxious sprawled on the ground like this. The cocky fat one didn't look much better either. He wasn't sure why his boss wanted these two. These two didn't look like the solving type. It didn't help that after searching both their hammer spaces, neither of them had anything that could have been considered evidence. No items, no notes, nothing.

"Siba, get your rope and hogtie em. Lionel, help me load the fat one in the back of jeep. We got a long ride back…"

XXXX

7:30 PM

The rocky and sandy ground faded back into focus. Mr. Plotz slowly lifted his head off the ground. His entire body felt sore and heavy. The last time it felt like was when the Warners dropped an anvil on his head by mistake at Russell Crowe's birthday party. He looked around the rocky landscape around them. Scraps of metal and glass lay carelessly about. Far off to the side was a road glittering with the occasional passing cars. He looked up at the sky. It was dark blue. They were still in El Paso, but how long had they been out here? Then everything came back.

_Those crazy kidnappers, the chase, Scratchensniff! He's unconscious!_ _Where are the others?_

Slowly getting to his feet, he searched for them. Thankfully, the rising full moon was helping him out a bit. The first one he spotted was Nurse getting herself off the ground. Red scrapes were all over on her arms and legs. Her hair was an unruly blond mane.

"Nurse! Are you alright…? Ow!" A sharp pain pierced his right shoulder. He clutched it with his left hand. Nurse, quickly noticing this came right over.

"Where does it hurt?" she asked, going into professional mode for a moment.

"Where do ya think?! My shoulder!"

"Can you still move it?" Despite his desire not to, slowly he was able to swing his arm back and forth, not a without a few aches of course. He nodded. "Looks like it might be a sprain, try not to exert yourself."

Plotz noticed the wreckage not from where they stood. He recognized the wreck as his own Limo. Under normal circumstances, this would have critically injured if not killed a human. But yet, the worst he got was a sprained shoulder.

"Its times like this I'm glad I'm a toon" he muttered. "Wait, where's Scratchensniff? Where's Ralph?"

"Dah, Overs here's!" Ralph called out. The big guard came towards them, minus his security cap. A nice sharp cut decorated the top of his bald head. A bruise welled up on one of his cheeks. He darted all over the place; he pulled back and searched through the loose shrubbery.

"Scratchy? Scractensniff? Where are yous?!" he shouted.

"I'm right here" a muffled voice answered. He blinked in surprise.

"Huh? Where?!"

"Here!" he turned around; completely unaware the psychiatrist was stuck to his back. Plotz rolled his eyes.

"I'll help" Nurse came forward and grabbed at Scratchensniff's bald head. Carefully she peeled him off. He flopped onto the ground with a thud.

"Oh there you is" Ralph's face brightened. Nurse helped Scratchy off the ground. Plots sighed in relief, they were all here. And they were all safe. Scratchy readjusted his cracked lenses. He stared at the discolored burn mark on his arm. Gingerly, he rubbed a finger on it.

"Vhat happened to my, ahh!" he winced after rubbing it too hard.

"Careful, the skin is too sensitive" said Nurse.

"Vait a minute? Where's Lucky? And Bonkers?" he wondered. Plotz concern returned in full force. Scratchy was right, where were those two? They weren't inside the car, nor were they anywhere nearby. Could they have been…?

"I think I know, look!" Nurse pointed at a trail of tire tracks. They were big and all terrain. They had to had have belonged to those rouge toons inside their jeep. Near the ground was Lucky's shoe and Bonkers cap. "They took them"

"No, No! I'm paying those two by the hour! They can't go now!" Plotz grumbled. Nurse pulled out a cell from her pocket.

"Hello, I'd like to report a kidnapping" she paused for a moment. "Lucky Piquel and Bonkers D Bobcat" Another pause. "No No! It's not a joke! It started when we got chased by a bear and a snake like…" A click came on the other end.

"What the? They hung up!" she said in astonishment. Plotz slapped a hand to his forehead.

"Of course they hung up! El Paso is not used to toon related crimes!" Well that was _one_ thing that remained the same since he left his place. The authorities wouldn't' be much help.

"Vhat happened to the hat?!" Scratchy nervously searched his pockets. "Oh no!" he buried his hand in his face.

"What hat?" Nurse asked.

"The one I took from that bear! He had…!"

"We just barely avoided getting killed and your worried about a hat?! Focus on something more important!" Plotz yelled at him. Was Scratchy serious right now? Once again he nearly got killed because someone took something that didn't belong to them?!

"Alright then" Scratchy spoke, narrowing his eyes at him "Vhat was that contract about Plotz?"

"Excuse me?" Plotz didn't take kindly to Scratchy looking at him like that.

"The paper Mr. Muguu pulled from your pocket, what was it?"

"Oh…that" The CEO's heart sank. That was something he hoped they would have forgotten about. He felt around his pocket for the document. Sweat beaded on his head when he noticed, it was missing. That crazy bear, he remembered. Muguu had snatched his copy of the contract from him back at the store.

"Plotz, what's going on?" Nurse asked.

"Mr. Plotz, just tell us what happened." Scratchy said. His three coworkers stared at him, patiently awaiting an answer. A heavy sigh came out. He knew was going to have to tell them eventually. But it was going to be a little harder now that he didn't have the contract on him.

"Last night when I was looking for Slim, I ran into the CEO of Globbwobber studios, and he offered me contract. It was for a partnership. I'd be able raise money to cover damages for the studio. And he'd make money to grow his own. So, I signed it."

"So what happens to us?"

"Well, you all were supposed to reassigned..."

"But, the Warners. Everything we've done for the last few days? All us of volunteered for this. And, you did too…"

"Don't make as bad as it seems, it was only just in case you…" Plotz couldn't bring himself finished that statement.

"In case we failed?" Nurse finished his sentence. He was startled at how blunt she was. It really was as bad as it seemed. The pained expressions from Nurse and Scratchy stared down at him. Plotz couldn't help but feel like a convict in an interrogation room. Normally this type of confrontation wouldn't have bothered him back at his office. It would have been just business. But this time, it wasn't. His head poked up when heard a sniffle. Ralph who was eerily silent for a while had his back to him. He turned around, his pink eyes were soaked with tears.

"You lied to us boss. You lied to me" he croaked tearfully. If he didn't feel bad already, seeing Ralph hurt like this made it 10 times worse.

"Ralph, you wouldn't understand, there was nothing I could do" The guard sniffed as he wiped his eyes, his eyebrows lowered.

"Yeah? Well I don't believe none of that." His voice was unusually harsh. Hearing the guard response to him like that didn't sit well in his stomach. Ralph had no idea what he had to deal with, and yet he had the nerve to discredit him? Suddenly he regretted his own sympathy. Naturally he responded.

"Oh, Get off my case!" Plotz spat back, his voice straining to stay within mid volume. "I was doing what any sensible person in my position would! I was willing to risk everything I could to keep from losing Warner Bros!"

"You was being phony was what you were doing!" Ralph replied, matching his tone. "You said you wanted to come but you really didn't, you said you thought we find them but you didn't, you said nothing happened last night, but something did. You signed us off without telling!" Plotz could feel his own face burn red.

"And what if I did?!" he felt his own voice rise. "Look at what came of this whole ordeal over the past two days! The Warners are still gone, Pinky and the Brain are good as guilty, we don't where the hell anybody is, or how to get home! What else was I supposed to do?!"

You could have waited until we…" Ralph turned his head away. Plotz marched towards him, grabbing at his shirt tail. Being insulted was not something he took lightly.

"Wait for what?! Till we came up with same answers we've been getting since day one? Waited till the studio shut down?! Waited till when the press asked why I formed a ragtag crew with a Nurse, a psychiatrist, and a damn overgrown lummox…?!

Thwack!

It was quick and loud. Plotz sputtered as the back of his head slammed into the dusty dirt ground. When he got up, a throbbing pain spread across his entire nose. He hastily covered it. It hurt just as bad as his sprained shoulder. Slowly he removed his hands. No blood. Scratchy looked on with his mouth gaped open. Nurse gasped as she covered her own mouth. Incredulously he looked up at the guard whose expression matched his own. Ralph stared down at his own balled fist. He quickly un balled it.

"I- I…" He stammered, his eyes darting to Plotz's face. Plotz clenched his fists as he got up. This time he crossed a line. He could feel Nurse's hand pulling him back by of his collar.

You you struck me. You ungrateful tub of lard! - Why I oughta…!"

"You ougtha what?!" Ralph shouted back, his voice echoed for miles out in the desert. Plotz stumbled backward to the ground. For the first time Ralph matched his own rage, barring an intense glare down at him, teeth clenched together.

"You oughta what? Fire me? Lay me off?! Just like you were going to do anyways?"

"Where'd you hear about that?!" Plotz voice lowered in intensity. How _did_ he know about that?

"From you! The night before the fire!"

Plotz had nearly forgotten about that. He remembered the conversation he had with Corden, and realized it must have sounded a lot sounded a lot worse to Ralph. No wonder he was upset, Ralph thought he was going to get rid of him from the beginning. Which wasn't really true, especially now more than ever. Scratchy jumped in front of him...

"Ralph please calm down! He probably didn't mean it." Ralph effortlessly pushed him aside and advanced towards him.

Oh shut up Doc, he wasn't! I was there when he said it!"

"It's true, I really didn't mean it!" said Plotz.

"You're lying! I bet you was lying about the _other_ stuff too…" He knew he was referring to their talk earlier that afternoon. This was getting personal now.

"Ralph…" Plotz lowered his voice.

"Well, you don't need any overgrown lummox like me around!" the guard's voice broke. He ripped the badge from his chest and threw it down. A piece of his shirt still clung to the badge as it clattered on the ground. He stormed off.

"Oh god… Ralph! You have to believe me! I can fix this!" Plotz called out to him. Ralph gave one last look at him, his pained expression weakening for a bit.

"How cans I believe you, if you didn't believe in me?" He stared for a few seconds before turning his back on him. Ralph silently trudged away from them and right towards the glittering freeway leading back to the city. Plotz was at a loss for words. This was probably one the last thing hed ever expected hear from him. And what was worse after realizing the horrible things he said, he drove him to do that. Scratchy began to follow after Ralph.

"Scratchy where are you going?! Talk some sense into him!"

"I'm doing what we signed up for" He calmly answered. "It's not like we have much to lose now…"

"You too?!" Was he really going to walk out on him too? Scratchensniff was supposed to be the reasonable one here! This day was just getting worse and worse. "Scratchensniff, you have to…!"

"Mr. Plotz please!" he answered sternly. Hearing Scratchy be this confident was really rubbing him the wrong way. This was not the same psychiatrist he knew all these years. "I understand why you did what you did, you had a mission, and I cannot fault you for that. I was just foolish to think we were a part of that too".

Without another word he went off in the same direction as Ralph did.

"Scratchensniff… ouch!" Plotz realized he moved too quick when another jolting ache spread from his shoulder. Suddenly something cool and moist landed on it, it helped relieve the pain. Nurse had placed a small ice pack on him.

"Here, hold this on your shoulder and your nose every few minutes" she stated formally.

"Nurse please I have to talk some sense into those two…"

"Mr. Plotz, neither Scratchensniff nor Ralph are in good condition to talk right now" She countered politely. "Besides I think you've done more than enough_ help_ for all of us." There was a tiny bit of resentment in her voice as she said that. Plotz didn't bother to protest at this point.

She trotted off in the same direction the other two had went and disappeared in the cloudy night sky. Plotz hung his head. Ralph's badge laid there on the ground. He picked it up and brushed it off, the Warner Bros symbol glittering in bold letters. The investigation had failed just like he thought it would. His fail-safe partnership with JW Globwobber would go into effect within a 24 hour time limit. And judging how much time had come and gone, he'd already passed it.

And yet, he still felt like biggest loser right now. His duty as CEO was organize and keep any situation under control. But now, he felt he was no longer in control. Plotz could do nothing but sigh as he stood alone in the dry desert heat of El Paso.

**Hope you guys enjoyed this one. Personally, I'm not sure what to think about it looking at right now. Thanks for continuing to show your support, its always appreciated.**


	13. Chapter 12: Regrouping

**A/N: Hello Again! Hope you guys had a great Halloween! I'm currently back and forth between working a job and school right now, so I haven't been as attentive on this as I'd like. Hope you enjoy this chapter! It's a little on the long side, so bear with me now! Thanks to all the guys that are still watching this story, especially you WheresDaBeef !**

* * *

Chapter 12: Regrouping

XXXX

8:40 PM

Scratchensniff's tired feet stepped onwards. Ralph was still several yards ahead of him. It was good thing they were only and a mile away from the city line. He wasn't sure how far he could go on. The soreness in his feet helped him ignore the light ache in his left hip. He looked behind to see Nurse not far behind. Further back, he could see Plotz trailing after them in a distance. He was barely a blip on the horizon from his viewpoint, which was fine for now. None of them really felt like talking to him right now. Scratchy really wasn't sure what to make of Plotz's decision. On one, hand he understood the amount of pressure he must have felt to make it. On the other hand, why did he bother with this investigation, if all he would do is sign the studio up for a partnership?

Pushing those thought out of his mind, he heard someone trot right next to him. It was Nurse. Her expression had relaxed from the tense confrontation with Plotz earlier.

"You okay?" she asked. It was kind of ironic. She had several cuts and bruises all over her arms and legs. He shivered a bit when he saw a bruise Siba had given her, around her neck.

"Yes, I guess so" he replied. He glanced at the big cut near the top of her forehead. It was partially hidden by her now unkempt mane of blond hair. "What about you? That cut looks pretty bad." By instinct she pulled out a bandage from her hammer space and wrapped it around her forehead.

"Looks can be deceiving. A cut will heal quicker than a thinner splash" He briefly looked down at the discolored rash on his arm. Nurse had bandaged it back up again, not to long ago. He made a memo that he would never come in contact with that stuff again.. At this point they had just passed the city line. The hills and valleys gave way to streetlights and Spanish missionary style buildings. Ralph still hadn't stopped yet. "How long do you think he'll keep going?" she asked while looking ahead.

"Until he finds a place to sit down." He replied. Sure enough, it came sooner than expected. Up ahead, a small dinner was slapped against a brown adobe style hotel. The most notable features was the neon sign of a certain famous rooster, and the bold lettered sign below it.

"Foghorn Leghorn's Barnyard Diner" Nurse read. He was vaguely familiar that this was one of the rooster's most recent entrepreneurial schemes. Up until now, he'd only seen them in California. "I didn't know he opened one this far out."

Ralph slumped down in a bench right near the front door. Scratchy took a seat, with what little space there was, right next to him.

"Ralph, are you alright?" There was no response. He was kicking himself right now for not dealing with Ralph earlier like he should have. He'd been so preoccupied with his own problems, he ignored Ralph's. "I am here to help you Ralph. Vhat happened back there?" Still no response. He wasn't used to him being this stubborn. "It will be very helpful for both of us if you please talk to me" After a few more seconds of silence, Nurse came over and sat on the other side.

"Ralph, what do you say we talk over dinner?" she, proposed. Surprisingly, the guard actually looked up.

"But we ain't had breakfast, or lunch" the guard answered weakly.

"So we'll do catch up, come on." She managed to pull him off the bench and lead him inside. Incredulously, Scratchy got up and followed after them. He sent Plotz a brief message on his phone to let them know where they were. Even though they weren't speaking right now, he couldn't just abandon him.

"How did you do that?" he muttered.

"Scratchensniff, if there's one thing I learned growing up, is that the way to a man is his stomach. A bit of food in all of us would do us some good" she replied. Although he questioned the truthfulness of that statement, he quickly let it go. With a shrug he and the others went inside.

Upon entering, he noticed the place was only half full. The crowd was an integrated mix of both toons and humans alike. It was the closest to feeling like they were back in Burbank. He was too preoccupied by this to notice Nurse setting an order.

"…Table for four? Right this way" a human waitress answered. She guided them to a table at the far end of the diner. When they sat down, Ralph took up one side while Scratchy and Nurse took the other. After making their orders, Scratchy waited patiently for Ralph to respond. So far, nothing yet.

The gang didn't talk much after getting their food. It was pretty much regular brunch food. Steak, eggs, waffles, standard stuff. Scratchy had to admit, this was a good idea. He felt a lot better after having something in his stomach. The ache in his hip seemed to fade away for the moment. None of them hadn't really eaten aside from a brief breakfast and pit stop on ride into town. Despite his sullen mood, he managed to scarf down three stacks of pancakes. Dare he say it, his appetite almost rivaled that of Wakko's. Ralph on the other hand had eaten nowhere near as much as he did. His head was practically glued down to the table. Scratchy still continued to wait.

When they finished, Ralph at first said nothing as he continued to look down. He pulled out his wallet. Inside were a string of photographs, some of family members, others of the Warners. He pursed his thumb on the first one. It was a black and white picture of a heavy set man. Nurse looked over at it.

"I didn't know you wore a goatee" she said. The guard looked up for a moment, shaking his head.

"I didn't wear no goat, my pa did though" he replied, pointing at the picture.

"That's your dad? You look just like him!" she exclaimed. Scratchy hadn't thought about Ralph's father in a very long time. He didn't know him well, but his son sure did look a lot like him. This explained why they used Ralph in the flashback intro for the show's premiere. He could hear it now.

"…_the trio ran amuck throughout the studio... Until their capture…"_

"Yeah, when I grew up, there was nothing more I wanted to be was a security guard just like him. To meets the peoples, know the stars… Now it looks like I won't be able to do that no more."

"Don't say that! Plotz didn't were being let go, just reassigned"

"Yeah, but will it be the same one? Why should I give up job I like for something I won't like?" he hung his head down again. For once, he had good point. Plotz had signed a partnership. Unless he and Globwobbler were on good terms. There was no guarantee that when this was over, they'd go back to working at their jobs again. "I just thought, that when I helped find the Warners, then maybe he'd change his mind about me. Besides, that Globwobber guy probably won't even need me... He'll get someone who's better, smarter, than I am" his voice began to break. Scratchy wasn't used to seeing Ralph be so personal before. Then again, not many folks aside from them had bothered to talk to him for this long. "Those goons were right, I is an worthless fat slob"

"That's not true!" Nurse protested. "You helped lead us to the kidnappers, you found one of our biggest clues, and you saved Plotz, whether he appreciated it or not." Ralph's frown shrunk away for a moment. "Don't let anyone tell you you're worthless, because you're not" Both the guard and Scratchy were silent at first. They never seen her so charged before.

"What about what Plotz said, he thinks it too…"

"Oh, the heck with what Plotz thinks!" Nurse got up from her seat. "What about what _you_ think Ralph?" she pressed on. "Do you think the Warners are still out there?" Ralph didn't say at first. Scratchy was surprised he never bothered to ask this question. It was almost a revelation. No ever really asked what Ralph thought, mainly because everyone assumed he had none to begin with.

"Yes" the guard tilted his head up.

"Do you think we'll find them?" she continued. Ralph paused for a moment.

"Yes?" he replied. Scratchy sensed a bit of doubt in his tone, now it was time for him to cut in. This had to be put in a way for him to understand.

"Ralphie, You've chased the Vanrers haven't you?" he asked him. Ralph finally looked at him.

"Yeah" he stated matter of fact.

"And you've caught them before too, haven't you?"

"Well, not all the time. I've had a dry streak" he guiltily shrugged his shoulders.

"So, you still keep trying right?" Scratchy pressed on excitedly. He barely realized he was getting caught in the moment.

"Yeah, but it's my jobs to catch them" Ralph straightened up in his seat.

"Doesn't matter, there's a part of you that vants it right? So think of this as one big chase, but now the Wanrers want _you_ to find t_hem_!

"Yeah?" he responded eagerly.

"You want to disappoint them?" Scratchy felt his voice rise a little.

"No!" Ralph shook his head defiantly.

"So, do you think you can find them?!"

"I do's!" Ralph jumped from his seat. Scratchy did likewise.

"I don't believe you! Do you?!"

"I do!" he shouted, punching a fist into the air. Both of them realized a few other people had stopped and stared. Embarrassed, both of them quickly sat down. He looked Nurse, a small proud grin came across her face. This was she trying to do earlier. This was the big thing Ralph needed tight now, a confidence boost.

"Then it's settled…" said Nurse. "Were all going to find them, the three of us"

_Right, the three of us_

"Doc?" Ralph answered.

"Yes Ralph?"

"I- Is sorry I yelled at you earlier."

"No, it's okay" Scratchy responded quickly. "I knew you weren't angry at me." The guard looked down at his hand, the one he struck Plotz with.

"Ralph, he didn't mean those things he said…" the guard looked at him.

"If he didn't mean it, why did he say it?"

"Sometimes people say and do things they don't really mean. Like you. You didn't _mean_ to hit him, didn't you?" Ralph continued to look down at his fist.

"No. I didn't mean to, my hand was just shaking and then Plotz kept yelling and then…" he didn't have the strength to finish the sentence. Not that he blamed him. Although he had to admit, seeing Plotz go like down gave him a tiny sense of satisfaction.

_Oh God, I'll have to schedule an appointment for myself one day._

"Just give him a moment to calm down. When he comes back, well tell him about our decision"

"And if he doesn't like it?" Nurse cut in. Scratchy felt uncomfortable saying these next few words. Despite what Plotz believed, they were a lot closer than he thought. Sure, they had little to work on now, but that was better than nothing. But also, this was the first time he and the others would have made a stand against him.

"Then we'll keep going, with or without him."

"Wait a minute" said Nurse. "Didn't Bonkers say you found an important clue?"

_The email._

Scratchy sat straight up and immediately reached for his phone. He was surprised he had almost forgotten about it. He kept it in his hammer space on his left side pocket. When he reached for it, he felt something else as well. Ignoring it for moment, he pulled out his phone and showed the email to the others.

"When did theys send this?" Ralph asked.

"Yesterday" Scratchy answered.

"Well we know one thing" Nurse stated. "Wherever they are, they have internet access. If only we only we had someone like Brain here. He could help track its IP address…"

Scratchy rubbed his sore hip. Something else was definetely in his hammer space, but what? He dug both hands deep inside his hammer space. Something hard and worn rubbed against his fingertips. He could feel its thick pages.

_Pages?_

Slowly he pulled the mystery item out and plopped on the table. The aching in his hip had instantly vanished. When he looked it, he realized it looked vaguely familiar. It was a large red photo album.

"What's that?" Ralph asked. Scratchy flipped open the book. Inside were several pictures of the plane crash, the shoe Ralph found, Slim, along with several notes from Lucky pasted inside. Even though he'd only seen it a few times, he knew exactly who this book belonged to.

"This- This is Bonkers book." said Scratchy.

"What? When did he give this to you?" Nurse grabbed the book in excitement.

"He didn't. At least I don't think he did..." Scratchy replied skeptically.

"But why would he give it to you? Didn't he need it?" Ralph scratched his head. It was a good question. How did he get ahold of that book? He barely paid it any mind throughout most of the trip. Did it fall out of Bonkers hands during the crash? No, Muguu and his gang might have seen it. It wouldn't have just slipped inside his hammer space.

When Nurse flipped to the final pages, she quickly handed it back to Scratchy. Inside on the last page was a single note.

_You need this more than I do. I'm counting on ya Scratchy! Bonkers._

"I think I know vhy" said Scratchy. "Because we veren't the goon's target tonight. It was him and Lucky. That's vhy they left us in desert. They'll think dey have all the answers…!"

"When all of them are with us!" Nurse exclaimed. A wave a dread came over Scratchy as he mused over the danger those two were now in. And yet, he felt more determined now than ever to find them. The Warners too.

XXXX

9:00 PM

It's a common cliché in movies that whenever things go bad, it always rains. Mr. Plotz wished that were true right about now. Despite the fact that it was past sundown, the air was still pretty warm. The dry desert air was making him sweat.

"_What?! Are you and the others okay?!_" JW Globwobber cried out on the phone. Plotz had stopped to call him as soon as he reached the city limits. He told him everything that happened in the past few days, the investigation, the chase, and his contract copy being destroyed. J.W. was understandably shocked.

"They're fine, all except our detectives…" Plotz replied.

"_Oh, this is awful! This exactly what I was afraid of, Please tell me you're planning on leaving tonight!_"

"Globwobber I don't even have a car right now! Of course not tonight! Besides, I still have a few things to figure out down here."

"_Plotz, you barely avoided getting killed and you're worried about 'figuring things out'? You need to come back here so we can get this whole situation handled properly_!" Plotz rubbed his head. He could hear the agitation in his voice.

"And we will! Just give me until tomorrow afternoon. You handle what you can at home, let me handle what I can here!" He already felt bad, Globwobber worrying about him wasn't helping in the slightest.

"_Alright, alright fine" _JW tone eased out for a moment_. "But please let me know when you're coming back. I know you feel pretty lousy right now, but this is why it's best to have a Plan_ B."

"Right… a Plan B" Plotz mused over his decision.

"_As soon as you get back, I'll send over a copy of the contract_"

"Thank you, Gooddbye"

Plotz sighed as he put away the phone. He laid out on a bench that was directly across street from the diner Scratchy and the others went into. He would have went inside, but for some reason he felt like he wasn't completely welcome.

So he was alone, just he had wanted. Scratchensniff, Nurse, Ralph were out of the picture too. Just like he wanted. So why did he feel like a huge jackass? Lucky and Bonkers were now out of the picture as well. That made 7 missing people now. The Warners, Pinky and the Brain, and now them. It just couldn't get any worse.

"Please tell me this is a mirage" a cranky voice answered. Apparently it could. He got up with a start to see a familiar face staring at him. Of all the faces he had to run into tonight, El Paso picked this one. "Can you believe it? Over a thousand clubs in this dusty town, and not one of them sell prune juice!"

"Slappy?! What are you doing here?" he replied. The old squirrel casually leaned a shoulder against an arm handle of the bench. "Where's Skippy?"

"Where do you think? School! Normally I'd be helping track the missing Warners, but since _someone _put a plug on that, I decided to take a brief vacation" was her simple reply.

"I thought I told you to stay back in Burbank!" Plotz chided. When he said that everyone should stay where they were, he meant that. She slung her walking cane over her shoulder.

"You know your rules have never stopped me before Plotz"

"Ugh, that's true"

"The bigger question is, what are _you_ doing here?" she narrowed her eyes at him. "Last time I checked you weren't the vacationing type."

"Oh, it's a long story"

"Ah, I've got time to kill" Slappy pulled him off his seat. "Let's walk first. I need the exercise. He took another look at the diner. He sent a brief message to Scratchy, letting him know he'd be back in a few minutes. He hoped they'd still be there by the time they got back.

Hardly anyone gave him a passing glance as they strolled down the sidewalk. He did his job to avoid contact while pulling his shirt collar over his neck. Although some people stared, none of them started to heckle him. This actually surprised him. Back when he used to live here, he couldn't go anywhere without being heckled. He suddenly felt ridiculous for feeling self-conscious. Most if not all the people he knew back them here were probably dead. This entire place seemed so alien, but yet vaguely familiar.

Slappy finished their walk by sitting down at another bench near a street corner. She'd barely spoken the entire time, a divergent from her cranky attitude. Something caught his eye, and he quickly realized exactly where he was. Off to the left was a missionary style chapel, just like the one he knew. And faintly off in a distance, he could hear a rumbling train. Then there was the actual bench they sat on, it was right behind a coffee shop. He saw the address.

_345\. My apartments address…_

He was amazed that he still remembered this after all these years. This place had changed so much. All the dilapidated apartments were replaced with condos and tiny shops. This was where he was born, Right at the corner of Albany Street and Rivera Way. He glanced at the street sign at the corner. The opposite street was still called Albany, but the one they were on had changed.

"Esther Way?" he muttered.

"Are you gonna talk to yourself or talk to me? I want to hear_ everything_" Slappy crossed her arms. Out of all the people he knew on the Warner lot, he'd known Slappy the longest. And he knew she meant it when she said that. If there any bit important information left out, He'd know shed make him pay for it later.

So for the next several minutes, Plotz spent the whole time recapping everything that happened over the past two days. This included confessing the smaller details that he left out when talking to J.W. The investigation, the attacks, the clues, the contract, and of course everyone else's reaction when they found out. The whole time, Slappy said nothing. She kept a stoic expression, not letting on what she thought about it just yet. When he finished she said nothing at first. Why hadn't she ripped into him like he thought he would? A small frown appeared, one that was quickly replaced by a snarky grin.

"Depressing, yet strangely amusing"

"What's so amusing about this?!" Plotz's burned for a moment. He was being completely honest about himself and she thought it was amusing?

"I think it's _very_ amusing, you were worried this whole time this whole investigation, would go under because of them. When really, it was all you" Plotz's expression soured, if this was her idea of making him feel better, it wasn't working

"Thanks, for stating the obvious" he bristled sternly.

"Hey, What do ya want from me, I'm a squirrel, not a shrink" she snapped back. Her irritation faltered when she noticed his swollen red nose.

"You, know, normally Id deck you for being a moron, but it looks like someone beat me to it."

"Ralph did it"

"Really?" Slappy seemed genuinely impressed. "I didn't know the lummox had it in him."

"He's not a lummox!" Slappy seemed a bit taken aback by his response. He stopped in his tracks "…I didn't know either"

"So, what are you going to do?" she asked bluntly. He shook his head. This was something he hated having to admit.

"I, I don't know"

"What do ya mean you don't know?"

"I don't know what to do now! Do I just go home and forget all this? Or finish what I started?" The squirrel shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know, I don't care. Whatever you do is no skin of my nose. But if you want my suggestion, I'd start off with one thing"

What is it?"

"Apologize" the word stuck out at him like a sore thumb. He hardly ever apologized. In fact he'd done it so little he'd almost forgotten that was part of the English vocabulary.

"Slappy you know I'm not good at apolo-"

"Ouch!" Slappy winced. Plotz jumped when realized he'd accidentally stepped on her tail. She shot a brief glare at him.

"Ooh, sorry" he quickly responded. He paused as soon as he realized what he said. Slappy's face brightened at hearing that.

"See? What are you talking about? You're learning already!"

"But Slappy, the things I did, what I said to them, and Ralph…"

"Ah the nurse and that p-sychiatrist will warm up to you in a while." Slappy waived off his concern. "And don't worry about Ralph, he's a bigger softie than the Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man. It's like I say, all things tend to heal with time, except hernias. You need a doctor for that"

"Slappy, it won't matter what I tell them, they'll still hate me."

"Only one way to find out" She got up from the bench. "Hate to cut this short, but I got a ride to catch. Later, Durante" As she continued down the street she passed under the street sign. Albany Street and Esther way. How fitting, after everything that's happened, he was back on this miserable street.

"I've been nothing but a blowhard control freak, just like my father" Plotz muttered. Slappy turned around. Had she really heard him?

"Plotz I've known you for 50 years, and I know you're nothing like your old man. Because a putz like him would have never hired me. You always gave folks a chance, and you always had a plan. That's why I like you Plotz…" She turned around and continued down the opposite side of the street. Not looking back she waved her cane in the air. "That's why I've always liked you…"Without another word she disappeared down the street.

Plotz was stunned at her final statement. She had actually given him a genuine compliment, not that he felt he deserved it, but still. He'd always had a deep respect for her. While she could be just as destructive and zany as the Warners, there was a sense of control and maturity that the others lacked. It was exact reason he hired her in the first place. She was wrong though, right now he had no plan.

_What to do? What to do?_

But, what could he do? Go home? File another missing person's report? Even if he returned home and continued with the partnership as planned, then these two days would have been for nothing. Then there was Scratchensniff, Nurse, and Ralph. All three of them took time out help him, and this was how he repaid them? Even if he could pull some strings for them to keep their jobs, he wasn't sure that would be enough.

And then there was the missing Wanrers, the whole reason they were out here to begin with. He did finally know who was involved in their kidnapping. He knew the henchmen, but who was the masterminds? All the evidence that came seemed to point to the mice. And all of it seemed plausible. He knew Brain's intelligent self was fully capable of pulling off something like this. The mice knew where to go for supplies. And they _had_ signed off on that purchase of paint thinner. Both their signatures were right on the document…

_Wait a minute, both their signatures? _Pinky_ and the Brain's signatures?_

Something clicked in the back of his head. He was bit angry he hadn't noticed it earlier. Everything was starting to make a bit more sense now. He knew what he needed to do now. Plotz immediately headed back towards the diner, hoping the others were still there. He'd give them another chance, hopefully they'd give him one as well. And whole time he ran, his father's lasts words echoed in his mind.

"_Know what your most valuable assets are"_

XXXX

9:50 PM

It was close to ten by the time Scratchesniff, Nurse, and Ralph waited outside the diner. Scratchy was getting concerned, Plotz had been gone a lot longer than he said he would. They planned to look for him within the next half hour. In the meantime, he and others continued with small talk to pass the time. Ralph would talk about the different types of people that came into the lot, Nurse shared her info on toon anatomy, but the real mover was Scratchy's accounts of the Warner's misadventures. He rarely got chance a to share them. Plotz highly discouraged him to ever talk about them. Most of these stories were completely new to Ralph and Nurse. He had just finished talking about man by the name of Pip Pumhandle.

"…so he actually managed to bore them to insanity? Nurse laughed, hearing the full story of the first time.

"Yes, so much they asked me if they could file a restraining order" He pulled out a notepad from his hammer space. He flipped to a list on the second page.

"What's that?" Ralph asked.

"A list of people who managed to 'compromise' their insanity""

"Huh?"

"It's the only guys that managed to drive them crazy" Nurse corrected. She looked over at the list. "It's a lot longer than I thought" The list continued a huge roll call, Mr. Director, Maid Marian, Elmyra, Baloney the Dinosaur, he alone was responsible for several therapy sessions, and a few other unfamiliar names. Ralph's eye brows rose at one of them.

"John K?" Ralph asked.

"Creator of Ren and Stimpy, one time when he said a few unkind words about their show, they decided to pay him a visit."

Did they hurt him?" Nurse wondered.

"I don't know, to this day they still won't tell me exactly what happened. But what I did find out was this, it turned out he's a huge Bob Clampett fan like them. And in Yakko's words…" he cleared his throat, a sneer wrenched across his face. "He's good, he's reaaal good."

"Gosh!" Ralph exclaimed.

"Doctor that sounded just like him!" said Nurse. Scratchy wasn't sure to be proud or frightened by that.

"Really? Well when you hang around this voice for long enough, it's bound to rub off on you!" Scratchy continued his impression. "Hello Nurse!" Nurse in response gave playful smack on his knee.

"Boys, no self-control!" Nurse mimicked Dot's voice. It was spot on.

"Girls, no sense of humor!" Scratchy spat back. Pretty soon he found himself laughing. For some reason it felt really good to laugh after a very long time.

"Ah hey! Cans I try that?" Ralph got out of his seat.

"Knock yourself out" Nurse answered in her regular voice. Ralph cleared his throat and held up something imaginary in his hand.

"Oy, this pizza is really faboo!" he spoke in a stilted Scouse accent. Scratchy and Nurse stood deadpan for a brief moment. If it wasn't for the faboo part, he would not recognized that as a Wakko impression. "How was that?"

"Uh… why don't you try again? Something a little easier?" Scratchy responded, still not dropping the Yakko act. The guard rested a finger under his lip. His face brightened when something came to him.

"Wait I got somethings else!" Ralph got down on all fours and started running around in circles like a dog.

"Pluto? No, Buttons..?" Nurse pondered. Scratchy was trying his best to keep a straight face. And he was loosing. Ralph abruptly froze right in in Scratchy's face, his tongue hanging freely from his mouth.

"Hi, Definitely Hi" out came the voice of Runt the Dog. Suddenly both Scratchy and Nurse burst with laughter. Ralph got back on his two legs. He sucked in his chest and smoothed back his nonexistent hair. When he spoke, his voice rose a few octaves.

"Come on Runt! We got a mystery to solve!" This got Scratchy and the Nurse laughing some more.

"Fred Jones?!" Nurse clapped. "Stop Ralph! Stop!" Scratchy agreed, this was too much.

"Wait! One more!" Ralph let his chest deflate as he put his hands behind his back. Squatting down to the ground, he put on a sour grimace on his face. Scratchy knew exactly who he was supposed to be before he said anything.

"Ralph, get those Warners out of here right now!" Plotz's voice came out of his mouth. At this point Scratchy had fallen out of his seat, howling with laughter at this point. Ralph gratefully bowed to his audience.

"Heh, that's pretty good"

"Yes, it was very good, Ralph" Scratchy got back up. This time in his regular voice.

"I didn't say that" Ralph said in his own voice as well. Both Scratchy and Nurse froze when they realized someone was behind him. Ralph turned around and his grin melted away from his face. Plotz had his hands in his pocket, a resigned half grin on his face.

"Plotz where were you?" Scratchy asked. The aged toon rubbed his eyes.

"I've had to do a bit of thinking, and I've…" he fumbled for a moment. I, I made some poor choices, in bad judgement. And I almost cost myself a lot." Scratchy was wondering if he was really all right. He rarely ever talked to them like this. "I know you all are probably still mad at me, and I totally understand."

"What are you saying Plotz?" Nurse asked. Despite her criticism of him, she sounded very concerned as well.

"I'm saying, that I want us to finish what we signed for." Scractchy shot a look at Nurse. Both her eyebrows rose in befuddlement. Scractchy's eyebrows, if he had any, would have done the same. Just a while ago, Plotz was certain on giving up on this journey. So what happened? Had Plotz he gone crazy?

"You're suggesting we should reform our search party?"

"I'm not suggesting a damn thing Nurse. That's exactly what I'm saying we should do." An indignant smile spread across his face. Scratchy looked on, slack jawed. This didn't feel right.

_Its official, Mr. Plotz has gotten crazy._

"Why?" Ralph spoke up. His foul expression hadn't changed since Plotz arrived. He turned his back to him "You signed that contract with Globbobber…"

"Forget about Globwobber, I'll deal with him later" Plotz waived off his statement. "After all, Scratchensniff was right, we don't have much to lose now" Scratchy could have sworn his brain was still frazzled from the accident. Did Plotz actually listen to him, and commend him for something?

"But, you'll have the studio, isn't that what yous wanted?" Ralph turned around, his frown faltering a bit. Plotz paused for moment as he rubbed his head.

"Not really... sure I'll have that but… I won't have… you three." Scratchy and the others could barely do anything but stare at Plotz in silence. "You three have done more than I could have ever asked you. And I never asked any of you. A- and I just wanted to say I'm…" he pursed his lips together as he attempted to say what was coming next. It was as if an invisible line of glue was breaking away from his mouth. "Im- sss… so"

_He isn't really about to say what I think he is about to say, is he?_

"Plotz are sure you're feeling alright?" Scratchy asked. Plotz stamped his foot.

"Shut up Scratchy! Can't you see I'm trying to say I'm sorry?!" The CEO blinked in stunning realization at what he said. "It's true, I really am sorry."

Everyone else's mouth's gaped open in shock. It was probably the last thing any of them expected him to say. Scratchy knew he rarely apologized, but whenever he did, he always meant it every single time. Plotz stared up at them, full of confusion.

"Why are you all staring- at Ugh!" Plotz squeaked. His face was suddenly buried into Ralph's chest. The guard had pulled him into a large bear hug.

"Aww..! I'm sorry too boss!" Ralph cried out. A tear streamed down his face.

"Let go of me you big oaf! I'm not done yet" Plotz's muffled voice yelled. The guard quickly dropped him.

"Scratchensniff, you remember that document back at Notts and Mils, the one that said Pinky and the Brain signed for paint thinner?"

"Yes?" Scratchy wondered.

"Did you see a signature for _both_ mice?"

"Yes, why" Scratchy wasn't sure what Plotz was getting at.

"Scratchy I'm surprised you don't see what's wrong with that! It's so simple I don't why we didn't think of it earlier!"

"What is?" Nurse cut in.

"Nurse, when's the last you saw Pinky sign anything?"

"Never, I thought he couldn't write…"

"Exactly! In every contract those two signed for me, only Brain signed his name! Pinky, that idiot, always signed with a paw print dipped in ink! And you see that?!"

"No!" Scratchy realized. Plotz's statements now made sense. Suddenly a whole new opening burst in this entire mystery.

"That signature was forged, but who?" Plotz wondered.

Well what do yous think we should do now?" Ralph asked. A grin spread across the CEO's face. For the first time in the entire trip, Plotz seemed absolutely determined to figure out this whole ordeal. Scratchy was glad he finally on board for real this time. Although he would have willing to continue on as a group of three, he really didn't like the idea of splitting up. They started this journey as a gang of four, and they would finish it as a gang of four.

"I think we need to pay Notts and Mils _one_ more visit…"

XXXX

Globwobbler Studios 10:10 PM

Another day finished.

Larry Paulsen, exited from the elevator on the 5th floor of Globwobbler's office building. After spending endless hours of organizing and signing papers, the time to clock out was always welcome.

_So this is what 4 years of studying Computer Science got me..._

Normally he'd be on his way of the studio lot right now. But he'd forgotten his trusty IPad. When he reached his own front door, he nearly dropped his briefcase. Down the hall was his bosses' office, the door was ajar. And someone was standing in the doorway. A man about his height but with much thicker build than him, stood in near the door. Knowing that Globwobber always shut down for good after closing time, this sent off several red flags. He got the courage to step forward as the stranger put a hand on the door handle.

"Excuse me"

"Oh, hi…" the man turned around in shock. He feigned a small smile. "I'm just here for a private tour"

"Our studio doesn't do tours after 8, especially in private offices" Larry stated stiffly. The mystery man stood there rustling his short black hair. This didn't look good. He wondered how long it would take security to get here. Larry's grip tightened on his briefcase, he hoped if this encounter turned ugly, it would pack a punch. "Do you work here?" A brief pause was his response.

"That's not important. I just need…" the other person replied. A twang of irritation crept in his voice.

"Sir, if you're not an employee I'm going to have to ask you to…"

"Larry!" his boss's voice growled. Larry could smell the cigar smoke before he even turned around. When he did, a stern frown laid before him. JW was always anal when it came to leaving on time.

"Sir, what are you still doing here?"

"I got an emergency call, what are _you _still doing here?"

"I was just getting my belongings sir, when this stranger was trying to come into your office." Globwobber arched an eye at the man before him. He took the cigar out of his mouth.

"Is that right?"

"I'm actually here for a 9:00 appointment, but you know how bad LA's traffic is" the man chuckled, sounding more lax than earlier. Larry didn't buy it, and the sneer on JW's face proved he didn't buy it either.

"And your name?" he crossed his arms.

"Daryl L. Corden But I just go by Corden for short"

"Ah yes!" JW's sneer melted away. "The gentleman who spoke with me earlier this week, I almost forgot. You know you should have called if you felt you were running late" He held out his hand for Corden to shake it.

"Sir, you never mentioned anything about an appointment" Larry cut in. He would have had this guy on record if he knew was coming.

"I didn't?" J.W. blinked. "Eh, my mistake… well come with me, we have a few things to discuss" Larry followed right behind them as they made it to the elevator. His boss turned around just before Larry stepped inside.

"Uh, Larry" J.W. turned around.

"Yes sir?"

"Where are you going?" Larry paused for a moment. Wasn't it obvious? He couldn't stand whenever J.W. did this routine. It almost made think he thought he was stupid.

"With you, I thought we had meeting right?"

"_We_? Did _you _schedule the meeting" the portly toon narrowed his eyes. Larry looked down.

"Well…no"

"Then it's not your concern"

"But it's after closing time…" his boss laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Larry, Larry. You worry too much. Just let me handle this, you worry about organizing that room you call an office. And while you're at it, shred these files." He handed Larry a thick vanilla folder. "And be quick too! I'm not paying to work overtime."

"Well, alright" Larry replied. A satisfied smile grin was his boss's response. He stepped back inside the elevator.

"Thanks, Goodnight Larry" The cigar went back into his mouth as the doors closed. Out of the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw Corden smirk. Without another word he went back to his office. He opened the door. The office was tiny and cramped; Paperwork and sealed up folders littered his desk. Some spilling onto the floor. He sat down, files in hand.

So much didn't seem right about this. Normally, J.W. would have had security remove guys like Corden within seconds. Better yet, JW would have mentioned that he'd have company. Then again, he didn't do that when they met Plotz at the Ink and Paint Club. If only he had a chance to hear in on that meeting. By the time he'd come back with the drinks they had already finished up for the night. But this was his boss he was talking about, he always had a good amount of respect towards him. Sure he was difficult to work with, but he knew that coming in. Just for a bit of conformation, he decided to look through the files.

_It's not like it would change my opinion wouldn't it?_

At first, it was exactly what he expected. Old and files and financial reports that long since needed to be taken care of. But then he noticed a few unfamiliar items near the bottom. Below the reports were several charts and graph relating to the studio current steady decline. Why would J.W. want to shred this? It was still valuable information.

There was also something else on one thick page. At first glance it was just a simple pie graph. A staple at one end. But underneath he could faintly make out rows of text underneath. HE adjusted his large thick rimmed glasses to see if he was looking at it right. The edges seemed frayed in two parts. It actually appeared to be two pages stuck to together. He held them up to the light to get a better look at what he was seeing. What he saw disturbed him. So much to the point to where wasn't sure he wanted to ask J.W. about this. Because whatever this pasted document was, it had Mr. Plotz's signature.

**Thanks for reading this! I had been waiting to do this chapter for a very long time, and now it's finally here!**

**Fun fact: the part with John Kricfalusi (John K.) is actually somewhat true. Really fascinating guy when it comes to animation history. He's a huge Bob Clampett fan. But… he's not the biggest Animaniacs fan. Oh well, different strokes for different folks I always say. Well, hopefully I can get another chapter up soon. In the meantime, have a great Thanksgiving!**


	14. Chapter 13: A Plotz Convenience

**Hello Everyone! If you're already bored, skip to the story below. If not…**

**I hope you all are having a great summer. First off, thanks for those who liked and reviewed the newest additions to "Light, Camera, Cut!" Your responses always mean a lot to me. Second, once again a lot of difficult life situations have come up over the past few months. And just as expected, they've eaten up a lot my time and will to write. But as always, I've come back with another one. Hope you like it.**

* * *

Chapter 13: The Plotz Convenience

XXXX

April 17th 11:50 AM

The sand gravel crunched underneath Nurse's sock covered feet. The late morning air was just as hot as it was yesterday. She ignored her sore bottom from the hour long tour bus ride over. It had dropped off her and the others just a block away. Just up ahead, the store appeared before them.

It was barely recognizable after yesterday's facelift. Caution tape decorated the large gaping hole where the front door originally stood. The property was vacant except for two cars. The Chevy from yesterday was there, but the second one was not a police cruiser like she expected. Instead was a faded cream pickup truck.

Right outside the hole was the last person she expected to see. Notts was sweeping up broken debris with a broom. Nurse had no desire to see this guy after what he did to them yesterday. But right now they needed answers, and they had a crazy plan to get them. One she was _really_ unsure about.

She walked right up to him while his back was turned. Not saying a word, she watched him sweep for a few more seconds before he finally turned around. His eyes widened, a nervous smile stretched across his face.

"Oh, hi there dear" he greeted with false sympathy.

"Hello Notts" Nurse replied coldly. She fought back her desire to throttle him when the overweight wolf pointed at the cut on her forehead. The one she bandaged herself.

"How'd that happen to you?" Nurse remained silent when she heard the rest of the gang's footsteps behind her. They flanked at her sides.

"You, happened" said Ralph. He came up from her left.

"Notts, we need to have another talk" Scratchensniff came up on her right. Notts dropped the broom and stepped back a bit. Gradually, his smile melted away.

"Look ya'll, I appreciated you coming out but I can't- ow!" He griped at his left knee. The person who kicked it stood just below him.

"That was not a request!" Plotz ordered him. "You owe us an explanation now more than ever!"

Notts rubbed at his sore knee "Dag gummit! I understand but…"

"No you don't! And if you're not going to tell us, I'm going to find someone that will!"Plotz stormed past him and right towards the store.

"Hey, get away from there! That's a crime scene!" Notts called after him. Plotz ignored him as he climbed under a low bar of caution tape. The greyed out Willie brother Bill, happened to be standing nearby.

"Howdy ya'll, my name is…"

"Shut up!" Plotz yelled.

Nurse and the others followed him inside as they stepped over the caution tape. The store was almost exactly as they left it, save for the juke box playing music in the back. The sounds of a yodeling choir over peppy accordions didn't seem to fit the environment they were. It was almost as if they were back in that club from the other night. The other two brothers Phil and Gil were sweeping up loose debris on the floor. They stopped as soon they saw Notts burst inside, nearly tripping up on the tape.

"I'm telling you, if yall don't leave I'll have to report you for trespassing"

"Notts! Shut up!" a voice yelled. That familiar southern drawl made Nurse's skin crawl. Notts's face dropped when he heard the footsteps. The backdoor behind the counter opened. She took a deep breath. It was the last person she wanted to see right now, but she and the others had too. Alameda Slim appeared behind the counter, his back facing to them. He seemed to be holding a raw steak over his bruised eye and a cell phone in the other.

"Hello, this Mr. Alameda Slim speaking, how can I help you?" Slim answered cheerfully. An indistinct voice garbled at the other end. The coarseness in his voice faded for just a moment. "…I understand, but what about the meeting…?" More garbled speech came. "What?!" His voice rose. The faux politeness he'd put on disappeared. As he listened, Notts impatiently tapped at his shoulder. The cowboy roughly slapped his hand away. The wolf crossed his arms as he waited for him to finish. "No it can't wait till then! We had a deal…Come on…!"

A faint click was heard. With a groan he threw the phone at a nearby trashcan.

"He ain't coming is he?" Notts sighed.

"No he's not…" he muttered before he turned around. When Slim saw the scowling gang before him, the steak immediately dropped from his hands. Just as she expected, his eye was already black. "Oh shit"

"You kiss your ma with that mouth?" Ralph exclaimed. He'd went to the jukebox and unplugged it. Slim spat on the ground.

"You'd be surprised…" he muttered in the uncomfortable silence. He turned to the uneasy wolf standing near him. "Notts, What are they doing here?!"

"I don't know! They just, just popped up!" the wolf crabbily spat back. Slim irritably rubbed his good eye.

"This is the last time I let you watch the store when I'm gone!"

"Wait, you're not the real manager?" Nurse spoke up.

"Well, I might have fibbed… I'm just the head cashier" Notts twiddled with his furry fingers.

"Oh no! I _know_ you didn't fool these guys into thinking you ran this this place!" Slim shook his head in disbelief. Notts bumped him back with his belly.

"Well why not?! My name comes first in the goddamn tittle..."

"Will either of you tell us what's going on here?!" Plotz yelled over both of them. Notts came forward for a moment just before Slim elbowed him in his arm.

"There ain't nothing else to tell shortstop!" Slim barked at him. The CEO scrunched his face, his teeth grinding together. Nurse already knew this was not going to end well. "Everything I know is everything he's already told you! The facts don't lie!"

"No, but you do" Scratchensniff answered. The defiance in his voice nearly threw her off. The brief pause from Slim proved it threw him off too.

"Who's not coming Slim?" Gil asked. "Is it…" Bill smacked his hand over his mouth.

Slim glared at his coworkers. "It's nothing. A nobody…"

"It's D.L is it?" Scratchensniff uttered. Everyone turned back to him. Slim went silent for a moment. Slowly he marched toward him. His angry eyes looked intense enough bore holes into Scratchy's cracked glasses..

"How the hell do you know about D.L?"

Scratchy pulled out a small tab from his pocket, he unfolded it. It was the list Slim dropped the other night. "We don't, we hoped you know"

Slim snatched it from Scratchy and immediately crumpled it up.

"Like I said he's a nobody!" he spouted just as Scratchy stopped talking.

"You're lying again Slim" Scratchy's face hardened. "Just tell us the truth"

Slim arched an eyebrow. He moved even closer. The hairs of his red moustache almost touched the psychiatrists face. His hand gently moved towards a holster on his belt. His voice went gravely "Your detective friends' aint around this time. So what's stopping me from telling you nothing?"

Scratchensniff didn't even budge. Surprisingly, a small smile actually appeared on his face. A quick glance at her was the cue she was waiting for.

"Because ve know you don't have a gun Slim" Nurse responded. "All Disney Villains aren't allowed to"

Slim's incredulous gasp was the reaction they were hoping for. Before he could react, two meaty hands sprang up in front of Scratchensniff. They latched onto Slim's curly handlebar moustache. Slim griped in pain when he was dragged down to Mr. Plotz's eyesight. Notts lurched forward to intervene.

"No one move! Or this man's stache is coming off!" Plotz yelled at him. The wolf stopped in his tracks. Slim's beefy arms dragged helplessly against the hardwood floor.

"Oh, Come on! Do you have any idea how long it takes to grow this back?! Ouch!" he whined.

"No, want me to find out?" Plotz gave an extra tug. Slim coloring in his face began to fade just as Plotz began to burn bright red. "You better start talking, because my patience is running out!"

"Gahh! You're crazy" Slim yelled. "I'm a respected businessman! I can have you all put away for trespassing and assault! Oww!" The mustache was jerked counter clockwise.

"I'm a CEO! That's nothing compared to what_ I_ can do when this is over! I'll put this whole rinky dink business in so much liquidfication, your great grand kids will need lawyers!"

"Come now! You wouldn't do all of that, would you?" Slim pleaded. Plotz paused and glanced behind him.

"Ralph, Get over here!"

"Ah, Sure thing, boss" Ralph lumbered over from the entrance. He went behind Slim and grabbed underneath his shoulders.

"On the count of five, you and I will pull! One…!"

"Notts you're just going to sit there and let this Oompa Loopa shave me?!" Slim stared at Notts.

"Two…!"

Notts stood off to the side, his head hanging to the ground. A distasteful frown was the response he got.

"Just stop it Slim, they know too much already" the wolf answered.

"Three!"

"Willie Boys?!" Slim looked at the trio behind him. Sweat beading from his head. The blond haired boys in question awkwardly stepped back, refusing to look at him.

"Four!"

"Just tell us vhat you know Slim…" said Scratchensniff.

"…And we'll never bother you again" Nurse finished his statement. Bug eyed and trembling, Slim stared at his captive.

"Cans I keeps his moustache?" Ralph remarked.

Plotz gave one tighter squeeze on the facial hair. "Sure Ralph, Fff…"

"Okay, Okay! Stop!" Slim cried out! "Just make him let go of me!"

A sweet smile erased the scowl on Plotz's face. He finally let go "Thank you."

Slim panted when he massaged his now crooked mustache. One could still see the marks where Plotz's hands once were. Nurse almost wished he'd gone ahead and done it. But she knew physical violence was not his weapon of choice. So humiliation would have to settle instead. And it was perfectly fine. She could hear Ralph giggling behind the cowboy.

"What are you laughing at, you blue marshmallow?" Slim glared at him. Scratchensniff pulled a chair off to the side and sat down.

"So tell us, who is D.L?" he asked.

One of the other Willie brothers pulled a chair from behind the counter. He handed it to Slim.

"Thanks, traitor" Slim mumbled. After sitting down, he cleared his throat. A heavy sigh came afterwards. Nurse wasn't sure if he getting ready to tell the biggest lie yet, or he'd actually tell the truth. She had a bigger feeling that it would be the latter. "D.L. was, my business partner. Said he's an independent, property manager. Real nice guy. Well spoken. Every time he talked, it felt like he could sell the shirt of your hide. He's the reason I'm out here"

Scratchensniff pulled out a notepad. "Vhen und where did you first meet him?"

"About a year and a half ago at my old shop. March I recall. He came in during one of my clearance sales. When we got to talking he proposed a deal."

"Vhat kind of deal?"

Slim grumbled something under his breath. "Well, ya'll already know my store didn't close down for good. I was trying to open up a new one out here."

"But vhy El Paso?"

"Funny thing bout this town, property prices are cheaper here. And toons don't need a single permit. They can sell almost anything. So, after telling him my situation, he did something I didn't expect. He told me that he could give me $50,000, just enough to open up my new store.

Scratchy jerked a back a hearing that. "I'm sorry what?"

"He just gave you that kind of money?" Nurse commented.

Slim slumped back in the chair "Yes he did. I was pretty shocked too"

Plotz shook his head in disbelief. "No! No! Wait! No one just throws that kind of money around unless they've got some sort of connection!"

"Please, Ives taken money from stranger folks… but the deal was this, in exchange for the money, I'd have to give him some of my merchandise…"

Scratchy scribbled down more notes in his pad. "Were some of these items Gloves, masks, pipes, and thinner?"

"Especially, thinner. And he wanted it all, _free _of charge." Slim uttered in disgust. "But, as long as he made due on his part, I was fine. And he did. And I didn't sell a single jug until this store opened."

Nurse noticed the scorched jug recovered from ACME labs had been neatly laced on top of a shelf. She quickly grabbed it.

"If that's true, then how come that jug we found at the lab had your old store label on it?" she asked.

"You can blame Gil for that!" Notts answered. The Willie brother mentioned, hung his head. "When we started selling this stuff, Gil screwed up by putting our old name on the first batch. We had to fix it once the second one came around. Slim didn't even notice…!"

"Notts, they wanted to talk to me! Not you!" Slim snapped at him. Irritated, Notts waved him off.

"Oh picky, picky…" the wolf muttered.

"So, what else happened?" Scratchensniff asked. Slim went silent for a moment. He took off his hat.

"When D.L came the first time around. He was alone. It wasn't until a few days later he came through here with the mice. And I met his freaky gang for the first time. And ya'll have already them.

We wish we could forget" Nurse quipped. She remembered something. "But you said the other night the four of them visited you. The three man group would make six.

"That's because it _was_. D.L, Pinky, Brain, and Mr. Muguu. I didn't meet other two until later…" Slim admitted. "I don't know what rat hole they came from, but it definitely wasn't from Disney that's for sure."

"Were Pinky and the Brain looking for the same thing the others were?" said Scratchy

"I doubt they did much looking. The whole time. That bear had em in his grasp. Could see their little heads poking through all the shiny fur, squeezing them in his meaty fist as if he was going to crush them."

Scratchy opened his mouth. But nothing came out. Nurse and the others did likewise. This was probably the last thing she expected to hear from him. The thought of that brute crushing those two nearly made her sick.

"Why?" Scratchy's voice took on a harsher tone.

"D.L said that he was in middle of a major project. He needed their help. Whether they wanted to or not"

"What kind of project was it?"

"I don't know. I don't ask questions, I ask for the money. But he needed some more supplies this time around. He said he'd pay me with the same amount from last time. But…" he paused momentarily. "I had to sigh the receipt for the paint thinner, in the mice's names."

"And you did it. Didn't you?"

Slim inhaled deeply, suppressing the anger that was probably inside of him. "Normally, I draw the line at kidnapping and forgery. I told him that if he didn't double the amount, He'd have to take his little ragtag posse and get out of here." He lightly rubbed at his leather gloves. "So when I didn't do it…" he looked over at Bill. The colorless clerk stared straight ahead, adjusting his blue scarf. The solemn frown stretched on his face "That damn bear took one of jug's I had…put on the gloves" his voice began to break. "…And he sprayed it all over him" Slim pulled off one on his gloves. His hand was completely washed out save for a few spots. "And he let me have a sample as well. This will fix in a few weeks. But, I don't think Bill's color will ever come back"

Nurse swallowed hard. She was actually surprised at the pang of guilt in his voice. Now she understood why Slim didn't want to talk. He wasn't the mastermind behind this crime, but a witness and an unwilling accomplice. These people were the real ones who kidnapped Pinky and the Brain. And he knew all along.

"As long as I stuck to the deal, this would be worst of it. And I wouldn't be pinned for their disappearance. So, I looked the other way. And I let him sign it." He continued with an inch of resentment. "He told me once the project was over, he'd pay me. And that would be it. But now… he says he's almost done. But, he feels I'm 'financial stable'… and that now would be a good time to _sever_ our ties…"

"So he's not going to pay you."

"That's right. And that's all I know" Everyone was in completely silence when he finished talking. His face hardened when he got up from his seat. "Now, get out"

"You coward!" Mr. Plotz, immediately lunged for him. Ralph and Scratchy jumped in and restrained him by the arms. Slim fell back in his seat and accidently tipped it over. "Let me at him! Let me at his moustache!"

"No! Not again!" The cowboy fearfully scrambled behind Notts. A long object fell out of his holster. Notts picked it up.

"A night stick?! Oh, really Slim?" he irritably rubbed his eyebrows.

"I can't have a gun remember!"

"You let those freak just take them so you keep your stupid shop?!" Plotz screamed at him.

"I did what I had to do! Besides, It was just two mice!" Slim yelled back. Scratchy and Ralph nearly lost their grip when Plotz swiped at him.

"Just two mice?! You let them walk away with two of my biggest stars! I should call the cops to arrest you right now!

"Go ahead! See if they believe your story! I'm sure they' were a _big_ help to you yesterday!"

Plotz stopped struggling as soon as he said that. Scratchy and Ralph released their grip. He was right. If they wouldn't buy that three weird looking toons almost killed them yesterday, why would they believe this? As long as they stayed in this city, the law wouldn't be on their side. And he knew that too. Suddenly any shred a sympathy she had earlier was slowly melting away.

"So those three don't work for you. And you don't have the mice." Scratchesniff said, regaining control over the interview. Slim silently nodded his head. "When did you see the mice last after that day?"

Slim set his chair back up and sat down. "There was no after that day! After D.L. signed the file, he took both mice with em. And I ain't seen them since."

The psychiatrist said nothing at first. Then he popped his next question.

"Have you met the Warners at all in the past year and a half?"

"Slim reeled back in confusion. "No, aint seen those three in my life. Unless you count the TV. The hell do they have to do with...?" Slim stopped mid-sentence. His eyes gave him an incredulous look. The meat headed cowboy finally knew why they were out here to begin with. "Wait… Wait a minute, that's what this is all about? You honestly think I'm the one who took those three?!"

"That what we're trying to find out"

"Why would I need those knuckleheads? I've already got three as kinfolk!" he jutted a thumb at the Willie brothers behind him.

"That's sweet Slim" Phil smiled. Then he received a swift bonk in the nose.

"Shut up, can't you see I'm talking here?" Slim snapped.

"So does that mean D.L. has them?" Ralph wondered. Slim lumbered up from his chair. He poked a bare meaty finger into his gut.

"I don't know, and I don't care. Whatever goes on is his business, but if he's going to threaten me and not make his part of the bargain. I want none of it. And if you guys are smart you'll do the same. So take your Hollywood hides back home…"

Ralph swiped his finger away. "Wes not going home" he said defiantly.

Notts, who had been quiet for the most part, stepped in front of him.

"Look, he aint kidding bout any of this!" he warned. "You ever seen what thinner does to a toon?"

"Yes…" Scratchensniff instinctively lifted up the sleeve on his sweater, the discolored rash in full view. He said It had long since stopping hurting. Nurse wished he didn't keep doing that. Exposing the rash would only make it longer to heal. "And we are villing to take that risk. One more question. Vhat did D.L look like?"

"About your height. Tall , black hair, a nose more crooked than he is, thick eyebrows…"

Nurse looked over at Plotz. His anger dissipated into a frown of concern for a brief moment. Had he seen someone who looked like that? Had_ she_ seen someone who looked like that? Her train of thought was momentarily interrupted when Scratchy got up from his seat.

"Thank you. Slim" he said stiffly. He seemed to cringe at saying those three words. Slim said nothing as he stared down at him.

"You really think those Warner's are still out there? It's been over a year."

"Yes, I have a 2 day old note to prove it"

"So, a lot can happen in just two days. What makes them different?" Slim sneered. Scratchy stood there and stared at him. He'd never seen the doctor this serious before. But then again, after everything that happened, how could he not?

"You don't know the Warners" After a few more seconds of silence, he headed out the front hole. Plotz followed after him.

"I'll see you in court" he pointed a finger at Slim.

"We'll see about that" Slim replied icily. He wisely stepped back when Plotz clenched his fists.

The CEO inhaled deeply, no doubt resisting the urge to tackle him. "Come on Ralph."

Ralph plugged the jukebox back in. The unfitting sound a male tenor yodeling came. He cringed at the sound before shooting an angry look at Slim. "Big bully! Who likes this music anyway?"

"Yodeling is an _art!_" Slim shouted at him. Nurse gave one last look at their former prime suspect. She promised herself when this was all over, she'd make sure the Warners paid this creep a visit.

"Thanks for your cooperation, Mils" Nurse thanked dryly.

Slim arched back in disgust. "You know I think I liked you better when you didn't talk so much"

"We'll I never liked you at all. So now were even."

"Ooh!" The Dalton Brothers hooted. Notts doubled over with laughter.

"She got you good there Slim!" he smacked Slim's shoulder. Slim shoved him off with sour face.

"I don't know what my friend Minerva saw in you"

Slim's bruised eye creaked open for a moment. Notts suddenly stopped laughing. "Wait, Minerva? _My_ Minerva? Minerva Mink?!"

"Yes?" Nurse replied. She nearly shook her head when she realized what she just found out.

_Oh Minerva, really?_

"How do you know Minerva?!" He bore his eyes at Slim. "Wait a minute… How do _you _know?"

Sweat began to beat from Slim's head. "Aww, Come on Notts it was just nice friendly little romp!"

The wolf gnashed his sharp teeth. He picked up the raw steak Slim dropped earlier. "Oh yeah?! How friendly…?!"

"I got 20 on Notts!" Bill commented, taking out coins from his pocket.

"We bet 40 on Slim!" Phil and Gil added.

Nurse took this as her cue to leave. Behind her, the wet slaps of the steak hitting Slim's hairy face faded into the background. Once she found the Warners, she'd have to find Minerva. She would really need to talk to her about her dating skills.

XXXX

12:23 PM

It was already past noon when the gang walked down the street. The store pulling further and further behind. Dr. Scratchesniff was finally glad to be out of there. Even though their meeting was only a few minutes, being with Slim that long felt like an eternity. They sat in the shade under a nearby rest stop building. Nurse came out the door with a folded map.

"Gracias Senor, you sure I don't have to pay?" Nurse called out. A sandy faced human clerk stood at the doorway.

"Nah Senora, es gratis, free" he winked before he disappeared inside the store. She shrugged her shoulders and sat down with the others. Plotz rubbed at his bare knuckles.

"Plotz were you really going to harm Slim like that?" Scratchensniff asked. Plotz almost laughed at hearing that.

"Scratchensniff please!" he scoffed. "I've dealt with soccer moms tougher than him! Although his mustache would have made a nice toupee"

A small ringing came from Plotz's pocket. A small flip phone came out. A brief frown appeared when Plotz looked at the number. Hesitantly, he answered it. "Hello... Yes, this is him, what do you want... What?" Scratchy could tell this wasn't someone Plotz recognized. "Why do you need him…He's actually right here, hold on" he handed his phone to Scratchy. "It's for you"

Confused and dumbfounded, he gingerly picked up the phone from Plotz's hand.

"Hello?"

"_Hello, is this Dr. Scratchensniff?"_ a thin voice asked.

"Yes"

"_This is Larry from Globwobber Studios. I need to ask something that's very important. Have you received an email from a Yakko Warner within the past two days?"_

Scratchy nearly dropped the phone as he fumbled to take in what he just heard. "Um, Yes"

"_Then I take you already know what it's about"_

"Yes but, how did you get a hold of it? I haven't sent it out to anyone else!"

"_Well apparently, Yakko wanted to make at least one person besides you got his message_…"Larry explained. Scratchy froze briefly "_Hello?"_

"Can you hold on for just one moment?" Scratchy handed the phone back to Plotz before taking out his own phone from his pocket. He checked the email from Yakko. Scratchy was surprised he didn't see this earlier. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that it had indeed been sent out to two emails. His and another one he didn't recognize.

"What is it Scratchy?" Ralph asked.

"The secretary of Globwobbler Studios says he said he just found Yakko's message in his email inbox"

"What? How did that happen? _Why _did that happen?" Nurse wondered.

"I don't know, but it happened" Scratchy glanced at both phones.

"Put him on speaker Plotz! We all need to hear this."

"You can do that?!" Plotz face twisted in confusion. His fingers gingerly hovered aimlessly over his phone. Scratchy forgot Plotz was still rusty when it came to learning new technology.

"Just press the little megaphone thingy" Ralph answered.

"Um, Thanks" Plotz looked down and nearly flushed bright red. He pressed the button. " I would have figured it out…"

"_Hello_?" Larry's voice boomed at a higher volume.

"Jesus!" Plotz jumped. The phone flew out of his hand and back into Scratchensniff's.

"Larry? I'm sorry, but this doesn't make any sense, why would Yakko send it out to you?" he spoke.

"_I don't know, I needed to contact you to see if you might have an idea. I honestly thought maybe this was a hoax"_

"It's no hoax, I know Yakko. No one else could send a message like that. When was that email sent to you?"

_About 2 days ago, but I didn't find out about it until today._

"Have you contacted J.W. about this?" Plotz spoke up

_Not yet I haven't, I haven't been able to reach him since last night. Apparently he had a brief emergency to take care of."_

"What?! Do you at least know when he's coming back?

"_Monday is what he told me. But I didn't want to lay the message over to him until after I figured out where it came from._

"Do yous know how we can do that?" Ralph blurted out. Plotz quickly shushed him.

"_What the?! How many people are on this line_?"

"Only four" Nurse answered. "

"Come on! He's just the secretary, he probably wouldn't know." Plotz waived off Ralph's question.

A brief paused happened before Larry spoke. _"Well… Not exactly, I mean... I can try to track the email's IP address to see came what I can find_

The CEO's doubtful frown vanished after hearing that. "Really? You can?"

"_Well…sort of, I dabbled in electronics for a bit, but we probably won't find anything useful_.

"Cans yous still try though?" Ralph asked hopefully. "Wes been looking for the Warners for the past few days!"

"_Look, I don't' know, I don't want to lead you guys to dead end._

"It's better than nothing. You have to try!" Nurse pleaded.

"But, _Even if I do find something, there's no guarantee it will be accurate…"_

"Larry, were stuck in El Paso right now. We need all the help we can get." Scratchy protested. Plotz grabbed he phone from him.

"Do it or you're fired!"Plotz ordered.

"_But I don't work for you!_

"Well consider this a voluntary internship!"

A few seconds of silence came._ "Alright, fine. Just… give me a few minutes_.

"Thank you" said Scratchensniff.

"_I'll be back_" a click came at the other end. Plotz put his phone away.

"Well… that was convenient" Nurse commented.

"So what do we do nows?" Ralph asked.

"We wait" Scratchensniff replied. "In the meantime we should go over what we know"

The psychiatrist pulled out Bonkers red book from his hammer space. He'd spent most of last night studying the pages while he and the others stayed at a local motel.

"Well, we know Slim is not the main guy behind all of this." Said Plotz.

"But we don't know who this D.L. is" Nurse stated. "We know he's a property manager and we sort of know what he looks like. You see anything about him in the book?"

"No, nothing. And I've already gone through this book twice. All it book covers is what we already know" Scratchy flipped through the book's worn pages. Nurse came over and flipped through a few pages herself. She stopped at a picture of Pinky and the Brain pasted inside. A few cut out news article were pasted underneath.

"Slim said D.L needed them for some sort of 'project'. Why would Pinky and the Brain want anything to do with him? Pinky would be willing to work with anybody. But, Brain is not exactly the partner type" Scratchy agreed with her statement. Knowing Brain, the project would either have to A; include world domination, and B: have his complete control over it. Nurse flipped through a few more pages. A few displayed the receipts recovered from lab.

"And remember, March 10 was when they visited Slim in LA. March 16 was when they visited Slim with D.L. So whoever this guy is, he provided money and transportation."

"Do you think D.L had the Warners all along? You think Pinky and Brain knew?" Ralph scratched his head.

"That… is a certain possibility" Scratchy replied guiltily. It was a thought he personally wanted to avoid as it still viewed them in a suspicious light. "As much I hate to admit it, Lucky did have a point. They were the last two people who saw the Warners before they disappeared in April."

"But, if it's true, why wouldn't they tell anybody's?" Ralph asked. Scratchy didn't have answer to that. He almost wished Brain were here. He had a far better eye for scurrying through details than himself. In fact, if he and Pinky hadn't been taken, they would have been the perfect candidates to find the Warners. They saw them just about every day.

"I don't know…." Suddenly, an idea came to Scratchensniff's head. "Mr. Plotz, What would you do if took the Warners hostage?

"I wouldn't know Scratchy, I'm not a glutton for punishment!" Plotz exclaimed.

"But if you were"

"Id, file a ransom. Those three are worth a lot of money. 27 million dollars in total to be exact. But these guys haven't done that!"

"Right! Instead, he wants their help for his 'project'. And as long as he has the Warners, anything that happens to them will be on their head. And if he did that to Pinky and the Brain, Maybe he did the same thing with Slim as well."

"That sort of makes sense…" Nurse pondered. "But why do all of this for their services instead of money? Surely he'd still need money to fund this project he's working on.

"That backs up my suspicion about this guy, no property manager I know, would just throw money around like that. Some else we_ don't _know has to be giving him money!" Plotz interjected.

"But who? You think it could be those goons that chased us?" said Ralph.

"Nah, those freaks look like the can barely afford the clothes on their backs."

But were still left with one question…

We know_ who_ took them

We know_ when_ they took them

But still, we really don't know, why?

The phone rang again. Plotz instinctively pulled the phone back out. Without error, he put it on speaker.

"_Hello?"_

"Well, what did you find out?"

"_I found two things, but it's very strange."_

"Give us the least strange one." said Nurse.

"_Well…. After tracking the address, I found it came from a system still used, Windows 2000."_

"Who still uses an outdated computer like that?" said Nurse.

"Better yet. Where would you even find one that still works?" Scratchensniff arched an eyebrow at hearing that. Larry wasn't kidding about the strange part.

"_Well, that's where the second strange thing comes in, the message is actually a lot closer than I thought. It's from Salton Sea."_

"What? What's Salton Sea?"

"I think I've heard of that place…"Nurse pulled out the road map she'd bought earlier. She opened it up and searched for the location. After a few seconds she found it.

Look there it is!"

Sure enough, there it was. Salton Sea was a big lake located just a few several miles away from Sandy Springs. This meant the Warners were this close all this time. But why there?

"Salton, I haven't thought of that place in years." Plotz mused softly.

"Plotz, you know about that place?" Ralph asked.

"Of course, it used to a big time beach resort back in the day…"

"What happened to it?"

"A lot of things, pollution, loss of funding, fading tourism. It's a ghost town"

"That must be why they're there! It's one of the last places anybody would look!" Nurse explained excitedly. " It's perfect!"

"Oh, thank you Larry, You have no idea what a huge help this is!" Scratchensniff thanked Larry.

"_You're Welcom-Wait, you're actually considering on going?! Don't you need help?"_

"No! This isn't your problem Larry! Thank you!" Plotz cut in.

"_But I'm…" _Plotz hung up and put the phone away.

Scratchensniff stomach squelched in a tight mixture of fear and excitement. He knew this was probably the craziest decision they have made so far. In a way, they would be heading straight for the lion's den. Then again, the past two days have been nothing but a series of crazy decisions. But in another, they were finally getting closer to solve this mystery, and finally find their friends.

"So how are we going to get to Salton Sea? Aren't those places hard to find?" said Nurse.

"Well worry about that when we get to Sandy Springs." Plotz searched his wallet for any remaining cash he still had on him. His face brightened when a wad of bills came out.

"But we don't have a car Plotz" Ralph stated. "How will we gets there?"

Mr. Plotz took the road map from Nurse and flipped to a section that showed just the city of El Paso.

"By doing something we should have done earlier in this adventure." He put his finger down on their next destination. The El Paso International Airport.

**Hate to leave it here! But that's all I got for right now. I should have another chapter up very soon! Were finally reaching the finish line people! Thanks again for viewing. Have a great day.**


	15. Chapter 14: A 'Reunion' in Salton

**Hey guys, hope you guys are still enjoying your summer. I know some you probably have school to worry about right now. So consider this your back to school present. I'm also sorry I haven't been able to check out everyone else stories in awhile. Iv'e read so much good stuff in this section over the past few weeks. ****Also, a brief shout out to BlackLouie for the latest review. And as always, everyone else's response is greatly appreciated. Lets dive in.**

Chapter 14: A 'Reunion' in Salton

XXXX

5:23 PM

Dr. Scratchensniff stared at the vast sandy desert stretching out for miles. Staring was all he could do since Ralph's guild squished him against the car's back door window. He'd done the same for Nurse who also sitting in the back with them.

"_Turn Left here_" A GPS voice answered. Plotz's cab driver did as told as they went down another street. Small houses started appearing just along the horizon.

The trip to Sandy Springs was pretty uneventful. The only thing that was notable was that Plotz thought riding 3rd class was actually somewhat decent. Granted he'd also said he'd never do it again, but still. Once they made landfall, Plotz hired out a cab man that worked in the area. One he knew personally. It wad an hour later when they finally reached their destination.

"Wait, Stop right here!" Plotz ordered. The cab slowed down in front of a boarded up motel. Plotz unlocked the door to the front seat and got out. Ralph and Nurse slowly filed out of the back seat. Scratchy waited for the numbness in his legs to wear off before he got out as well.

"We'll call you when we need a ride back" Plotz told the cabbie.

"Meep, Meep!" his driver replied. Before they could thank him, the Roadrunner speed down the street quickly as it had arrived. Dust kicked up into the sky. A rotten pungent smell wafted into Scratchensniff's nostrils, causing him and the others to cough.

"Gah! I remember this wasn't always the best smelling place, but it was never this bad!" Plotz uttered breathlessly.

"You can blame years of waste runoff and high salinity for that" Nurse glanced through their fold up map.

"For once I wish we were back in El Paso!"

"Sand looks kinda funny" Ralph scooped up a handful of white chucky fragments.

"Uh, Ralph, that's not sand" Nurse cringed.

"What is it then?"

"You don't want to know…"

Frowning, Ralph quickly dropped his handful on the ground. Finally the dust started to clear. The gang took in their surroundings.

It was the most unusual place they'd been in for the last two days. The ground was practically a desert wasteland, and yet the setting sky was an absolute beautiful blend of red and gold. Off to their right, a huge body of water seemed to stretch endlessly across the horizon. Despite the fact that Salton was a tiny town stationed by a big salt water lake, it used to be huge tourist trap. All the biggest stars came through here, Beach Boys, Liberace, Scratchensniff vaguely recalled Bugs Bunny hosting a few annual birthday parties here as well. The city they were looking at right now was not it.

Not a patch of green could be seen for miles. Most of the beach houses that were once new had long since burned down or went into disrepair. The crowds of rowdy beach goers were replaced with drifting tumble weeds and large flocks of seagulls. Save a for a few elderly porch sitters further down the street, there was hardly no one around. Scratchensniff was starting to wonder if coming here was a good idea.

"I guess we start looking" Ralph broke the awkward silence. He peered inside the window of a small burnt out shed.

"Ralph!" Nurse exclaimed.

"What?"

She irritably came over with a pair of disposable gloves.

"This place is an economic disaster! You can't just go around touching anything."

"Sorry" he slipped them on his meaty hands.

"But, where do we start? There's over a dozen buildings in this place. They could be in any one of them!" said Plotz.

"Not all of them. All we have to is find one with an old computer." Scratchy said aloud. The CEO looked at a nearby empty beach house with unease.

"But, who knows what's lurking around in those buildings? If the Warners are here, you can bet those other goons are here too." He'd made a good point. They had to be on guard if those three were hiding out somewhere. Suddenly the tranquil silence was very unsettling.

"How about this? Two of us can search a building while the others stay out and watch?" Nurse proposed. The others nodded in agreement. It wasn't the best idea at the moment, but he felt they had to start somewhere.

Over the next hour, the gang searched through various empty buildings along the coast. They found plenty of furniture, dead fish, and old cars, but no computers, which meant no Warners. Thankfully, they hadn't seen any sign of Muguu, Lionel, or Siba. Every now and then, they would stop searching just to see if the gang was anywhere nearby. When they found no one as usual, it was back to business. Occasionally they would the ask the residents, what little there was, if they seen anybody in D.L's gang or the Warners. No one was really all that helpful. The only info they got came from a local store clerk. Lionel and Muguu would visit his store every other month for snacks. But other than that, there was nothing that was useful in finding them.

"Doc, you think they used this?" Ralph called out to Scratchy. They were going through a pile of broken computers inside another abandoned beach house.

"No Ralphie, it was Windows 2000. That's a laptop with a Beach Boys vinyl stuck to the back."

"Any luck?" PLotz called from outside.

"No" they replied before coming out.

"I don't think vere getting anywhere this way." Scratchy took off his pair of gloves.

"Well, how else are we going to find the right place?" Plotz countered. "Maybe were not looking hard enough.

"We've been scouring every building from top to bottom." Nurse said.

"There has to be something were missing… otherwise were going to be here all night…" Scratchensniff stopped mid-sentence when he noticed Ralph had stepped away from the others to look at the paved dirt ground. "Ralph what are you doing?"

"You says these guys are around here? Maybe they left a clue" The guard pointed at a bunch of feet prints and tire tracks on the dirt ground.

Plotz smacked his head realization. "Ralph that's the smartest thing I've ever heard you say!"

"It is?"

"The tire tracks from their getaway jeep!" Nurse realized. "Check the book to see if there's a picture inside. Scratchy did as told when he pulled out the red clue book. He flipped through a few pages until he found what they were looking for.

"There it is!" he pointed to one page. Everyone huddled around him. Inside was a crude redrawing of the jeep that tailed them yesterday, Right down to the green paint job and massive all terrain wheels. Scratchy was surprised this was even in here. Bonkers must of have had a good memory to create this reproduction. When did he have time to even make this? Underneath that image was picture of the tire trails left at ACME labs. "See how they zig zag in the middle then spread out on the edges? Look for some prints that look like that."

"Over there!" Nurse broke away from the group and headed right towards another pair of tracks. The other followed not far behind. Sure enough the matching tracks were in the ground. The imprints in the ground were deep, which meant the tracks were very recent. "Let's follow them!"

The tracks led them a good several blocks down the dirt road. They weaved in and around rusted cars and dilapidated housing. Occasionally Scratchy had to fight back the urge to puke when he passed by the occasional pile of dead fish. Ralph on the other hand, lost that battle a couple of times. As they scoured around the corner of old office building. Scratchy saw something just ahead of them.

"Wait stop!" Scratchy lowered his voice. What they saw made them stop in their tracks. A large 3 story hotel loomed just up near the horizon. It windows had been boarded with wood, and the pink paint job had faded into a bleached blush. It was empty except for one detail. The tracks led right to something parked along the side of hotel's walls. It was a vehicle partially covered in a thick blue tarp. But upon a closer look, they could make out the wheels and the grimy green paint job on the hood. Between that and them was rusted cars and debris from various buildings. Scratchy barely made another sound when he heard a thump.

Everyone pressed their backs against the wall of the office building. The rough, chipped paint rubbed against Scratchy's bald head. Thankfully, stacked towers of old tires provided some extra cover. They were in the right place alright. He could hear Plotz knees trembling.

"Now what?" Plotz whispered. "We can't just barge in there!"

"But we can't stay out here! The Warners may be inside!"

"I'm calling the police, as small as this town is, they still have one. And better yet, they'll listen to us." Nurse pulled out her cell phone. She made sure the volume was kept down low in case Muguu and his gang were nearby. A few faint rings came, then a few beeps. It rang some more, but still no response. She stuck the phone out in front her. "Come on, come on! Don't tell me this town doesn't have good reception!" she grumbled.

"It's a ghost town in the middle of the desert! What do you expect?" Plotz commented.

Scratchy was anxious to get moving. But he knew running towards the hotel wouldn't be a great idea. But they were so close. The Warner's were waiting for them!

"Scratchy?" a hoarse voice croaked. Scratchensniff gasped at how familiar it was. Plotz and Nurse stopped talking. He peeked over the piles of tires. No, He must have misheard. He'd been out here so long he was starting to get delirious.

"Scratchy?"

"No, it couldn't be…" he slowly stepped out from their cover.

"Scratchensniff…?" another voice called. This one had a rough Scouse accent. The others silently gasped when they heard that. Okay, so it wasn't a mishearing.

Scratchy could see where it came from. Off to the left was a closed filling station. It actually a lot closer than the hotel. He could see something faintly in the station's grimy window. Somebody was moving around. Something small. His heart almost stopped when saw the person had a white face that stood out in the dark. And a bright red nose. He couldn't believe, it had been over a year. And they were here…

_They're Here…!_

"Doc, what's wrong?" Ralph asked.

"Its them, its them!" Scratchy huffed excitedly. Not a moment later he sprinted towards the station.

"Scratchensniff get back here!" Pltoz yelled. Scratchensniff barely heard him when he ducked behind an old car half way there. He kept his eyes on the motel. No one had shown up yet. And no one was watching him. He glanced the filling station.

"Scratchy? Scratchensniff?" the voices were louder. No doubt, it was Yakko and Wakko. But where was Dot? Why hadn't he heard her voice? He ignored that thought when he crept right up to the station. It had been too long. Right now, nothing else mattered. He hunched just underneath the window. Despite that he was closer, he couldn't make out the two brothers any better. The two of them looked down through their clouded viewpoint, He could see that Wakko's hat was still missing. But the middle sibling seemed just as cheerful as Yakko, despite the situation at hand. Scratchy could feel a deep swell rise up inside him.

"Yakko! Wakko!" Scratchy whispered, barely able to contain his excitement.. " I don't believe this! After all these…"

"Scr- Scratchensniff?" Yakko said in a hushed voice. A surprising accomplishment for him.

"Hey, Scratchensniff! What are you doing here?" Wakko added.

"I've come rescue you, Ralph, Nurse and Plotz are all here!" Scratchensniff did his best to not let his voice go near mid volume. The Warners heads perked up.

"Scratchy, you don't know how much we missed you too!" the elest sibling answered.

"Me too!" Wakko added.

"Wait, where's Dot?"

"She's in here with us, but she's real sick. And were too exhausted to carry her." Yakko head bobbed downward.

"Don't vorry, Im…"Scratchy jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder. His head whipped faster than you could say Schitzelbank. "Ralph?!"

"Plotz and Nurse says you need to come back right now!" Ralph warned breathlessly. He had squatted down to his level, attempting to drag him away from the window.

"But we need to save Dot first! Look! The Warners are okay!"

Ralph looked inside the window. His eyes grew big when he saw Warners inside. "Whoa! It's them!"

"Hey, it's the big guy" Wakko exclaimed.

"Vhat happened to Pinky and the Brain? Are they with you?" Scratchy asked.

"No! Well tell you about that later, but we got to get out here first" Yakko instructed, his smile unmoved.

Scratchy fiddled with a door leading inside. It was locked. Ralph pushed him out of the way and rammed against the side of the door. But no avail.

"No, No Scratchy! There's another opening in the back!"

"Thanks guys" Ralph quickly ran out to the back side. Scratchensniiff followed not far behind. Both Scratchy and Ralph crept up the siding of the cracking white walls. No one appeared around the hotel just yet. They would have to make a beeline back to cover. Eventually they made it to the edge of the back doorway. He was so overwhelmed with joy, but a queasy lump came from his gut. Something he couldn't shake off. Ralph had already opened the door.

"Alright you guys, where are you?" Ralph peered inside. It looked nearly pitch black in there.

"Over here you big fat lug" Yakko teasingly responded. His voice sounded a lot rougher this time. Ralph carefully stepped inside the dark room.

"It's so good to see you, chaps!" Wakko thanked them. The feeling Scratchy got earlier changed for the worse.

_When did Wakko ever say 'chaps'? _

"Oh no! Ralph! Look out!" Scratchy began to rush inside. Not a moment later, the edge of a brass knuckle emerged from the darkness. And Ralph's face was the first thing it hit.

_Whump!_

Ralph's backside crashed into Scratchensniff like a truck. Both of them hit the ground in a dusty cloud. The smell of rotting fish was even worse. Scratchy flailed his arms and legs as he struggled to free himself from underneath Ralph's massive guild.

"Ouch…!" the guard moaned, covering the left side of his face. Almost out of nowhere, two enormous shadows loomed over them. And the toons they belong to, laughed at them.

"Oh save us Dr. Scratchensniff!" Mr. Muguu mocked in an almost near impression of Yakko. In his paw was a life size plushie of Yakko. Wakko's precious hat was back on his head. Lionel grasped a plushie of Wakko in his hand. In his other hand was the brass knuckle.

"Oh yes" Lionel agreed, imitating Wakko's accent. "Really Fab!"

"Its faboo! Faboo!" Scratchensniff yelled. Hr struggled to free himself when the burly toon grabbed hold of his legs. Anger took over as he violently flailed to get away from them. But Muguu would not budge. His paws firmly anchored him to the ground. Finally after wasting all the energy in his body, Scratchy stopped moving. There was no escape. He felt like a complete idiot right now, the guys had a trap ready and waiting. And Scratchensniff fell for it.

_No! We were so close. So close_.

XXXX

"Damn…" Mr. Plotz muttered. Just as he feared, something had gone horribly wrong. Scratchensniff and Ralph still hadn't returned from behind the filling station. Why did Scratchy do something as stupid like that? He knew better than to assume the Warners would be out in the open like this. Especially after being AOWL for over a year.

I don't see them…" Nurse whispered. Her voice was full of worry. Then a few moments later, the guard and psychiatrist finally appeared, but so did two other toons. Scratchy was tied up and slung across Muguu's shoulder like a wet towel. Muguu carried Ralph by his hands while Lionel grabbed his feet. Plotz found himself crouching lower behind their cover. Nurse had done likewise. His heart started beating, this was getting worse by the second.

"We have to move!" Plotz grabbed Nurses hand.

"But we can't just leave them!" Nurse protested. Plotz turned around to face her.

"I know! But if we stay here they'll find us too..!"

Something rustled just around the corner ahead of them. Footsteps came. Fearing the worse, Plotz backed up. He picked up a large hunk of driftwood off the ground.

"Think its Siba?" Nurse grabbed an old shower rod hanging through the building's cracked window.

Plotz tightly gripped his fingers. The footprints got closer. "Only one way to find out. On my mark. One… Two… thre…"

"Mr. Plotz?" a voice came from around the corner. But the voice, it was coming from the last toon he would have thought of actually being here.

"Plotz! Plotz is that you?"

"Globwobber?" Plotz called out. "Come out so we can see you!" He tightened the grip on his weapon. Sure enough, the real J.W Globwobbler slowly appeared before him. His blue suit was cleanly pressed, and dry despite the sweltering heat.

"What the hell are you doing here?" his face was wrenched with concern.

"The hell are _you_ doing here?" Plotz responded, dropping the driftwood. "We have to get out of here! They just taken Scratchy and…" J.W covered his mouth. He peered over at the view just past the tire stacks.

"Shh… Plotz, relax! I know! I found where you were and had to come get you! My rides up front"

Nurse and Plotz peered around the corner. A simple gray car was parked just a few feet away. The front and back doors were wide open. The studio head patted his shoulder. "Dont worry, well get them back"

"Globwobbler, you really didn't have to do this"

"Oh. I think I did." the man smiled deeply while saying this. He headed off towards the car. Plotz followed after him.

"You think you can give us ride to the nearest police station?"

Wait, how did you find out we were here?" Nurse asked, her eyes squinting at Globwobbler.

"That can wait til later, now come on!" Plotz waived off her concern before he made beeline for his ride. He felt Nurse grab him by the back of his collar. "Nurse what are you…?!"

"No! How _did _you find out we were here?" she pressed firmly. J.W gave her an incredulous stare. Plotz didn't understand why she was stalling. Time was of the essence right now.

"My secretary told me." J.W simply replied.

"Larry? When did you last talk to him?

"This morning, how is this important? We got to go!" a bit of irritation crept into his voice.

"Because we talked to Larry this afternoon, and he said he hasn't been able to reach you." She replied. Plotz quickly understood why she was skeptic. He couldn't believe he'd almost forgotten about that.

"He said you were hung up with an emergency till Monday! So what happened?" Plotz added. J.W frowned and paused for a moment.

"There has to be a mistake, Larry says a lot of things…" he dismissed. "You seen how absent minded he is Plotz"

"So?! I also _know_, that he brought us here! A place_ I_ or _you_ shouldn't be!"

It didn't make sense. Did Larry lie to them? He trusted that secretary to an extent. But it couldn't be. They were in the right place.

"So maybe he brought both of us! What's the big deal?" J.W. threw up his hands.

"But he didn't know we'd come here until today. So how you would _you_ know we'd be here?" Nurse voice lowered. He felt Nurse's grip tighten on his collar. She started to back slowly from the studio head."Unless..."

Out of the corner of Plotz's eye, the cracked window exploded just behind them. Nurse screamed as something furry and scaly tackled her to the ground.

"Nurse! Nurse!" Plotz yelled. He turned around to see Siba slithering all over her body. Nurse punched and pulled at his furry hide. Siba continued to cackle and constrict tighter coils around her waist and legs.

Pretty soon he was the ground, desperately trying to loosen the tight wrappings the mutant freak had created. He stopped for a moment and saw J.W. had barely moved this whole time. He even took out time to dig for a cigar in his pocket.

"Don't just stand there! Help me!" he barked at him. The studio head ignored him and lit the cigar. He took a drag.

"That Nurse is a pretty smart woman Plotz" J.W blew a puff of smoke. " A little too smart if you ask me"

"Globwobbler this isn't a game! Now get down and help me!" Plotz yelled at him. Seeing him stand there doing nothing was starting to piss him off. He was not in the mood for any snarkiness. This wasn't making any sense. Why was he acting like this? But then again, why would he be out here? Especially if he wasn't able to find out from Larry. And at the same time D.L 's goons were here? He shook his head, assuming the worst.

"No! Don't tell me your workings with D.L.! Don't tell me you're working with him." Plotz pleaded.

J.W was silent for a moment. Plotz prayed the he'd get a different answer. Then he knelt down to his eye level.

"Okay, I'm not. He's working for me. Golbwobber uttered contently.

His answer hit Plotz like a brick wall. This was way worse than what he assumed. The CEO simply sat there as he took in the news he just heard. Suddenly the clues made sense now. The head studio man's struggling studio profits, the convenient disappearances of his star characters, then there was D.L's mysterious money supply, it would had to come somebody who really benefited from doing this. He was beyond angry that he hadn't seen this from Day 1.

J.W. let out a startled yelp when PLotz sprang up from the ground. Plotz's rough hands pinned him to the wall. They clenched into the taller man's arms, making him squirm.

"You? It was all you?!" Plotz seethed, his face burning bright red. The brief pinch of fear on J.W.'s face was replaced by a wide grin. Smoke oozed out the corners of his mouth.

"Told you doing this search party was a waste of time. Isn't that right, D.L?"

Yes" a voice answered behind him.

For a split second, Alameda's description of D.L flashed in Plotz's mind.

_"Tall , black hair, a nose more crooked than he is, thick eyebrows…"_

He only knew _one_ person that looked like that. And he was here.

_Wham!_

Before Plotz could explode on 'D.L.' in a fit of blind rage, he hit the ground seeing stars. The last thing he could see was his secretary standing above him with a mallet in his hands.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Plotz…" Daryl L. Corden's voice trailed off.

**Sorry if this chapter is on the short side. I wanted to get this out of the way so I could focus on the final chapters in the story. Also, Salton is actually a real place in southern California. You learn something new something everyday. But then again, as Yakko would probably say, "This has been another, useless fact."**


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